Exploring The Impact of Interprofessional Collaboration on Patient Outcomes in Healthcare

Abstract

Background: Interprofessional collaboration is an important aspect of contemporary healthcare in which several healthcare professionals from different disciplines collectively work for better patient outcomes. The effects of IPC on patient satisfaction, treatment compliance, readmissions, and clinical results are examined in this research across three countries: the United States, the United Kingdom, and Canada.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was carried out with 1200 patients from different urban healthcare facilities in the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada. Information was obtained from patients’ questionnaires, interviews with healthcare providers, and patients’ medical records. Patient inclusion criteria included patients who were 18 years and above who received care from an interprofessional team. Patients with severe cognitive impairments or those who could not give their consent were excluded. Descriptive analysis was used to determine the frequency percentage analysis to assess the correlation between IPC and patient outcomes.

Results: An analysis of the results showed enhanced IPC and positive patient experience scores with 85 % of the scores indicating the patients had favorable experience. Hospitals with IPC practices reported a 20% decrease in readmission rates. Patients in IPC settings were also more compliant with prescribed treatments, by 15% more than patients in single-disciplinary teams. International comparisons revealed that patient satisfaction rates were slightly higher in the United States than in Canada and the United Kingdom.

Conclusion: Analyses of data reveal the aspects in which IPC enhances results for the patients and novelties satisfaction, medication compliance, and readmission rates. The findings of the study provide evidence for the inclusion of IPC into practice and policy to improve care. Further studies should be conducted to establish the effectiveness of IPC in rural and low-resource areas.