Date of Conferral

2018

Degree

Ph.D.

School

Health Services

Advisor

Warren G. McDonald

Abstract

Interprofessional collaboration is recognized as the innovative, evidence-based strategy that strengthens health systems and improves performance and health outcomes. While resource-rich countries have benefited much from the implementation of this initiative, literature is scarce regarding sub-Sahara Africa. This quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study described the extent of interprofessional collaborative practice at the tertiary care level in Nigeria and its implications on patient health outcomes, professionals' performance, satisfaction, and healthy practice environment. The relational coordination theory (RCT) provided the conceptual framework for the study. Key research questions were on the association between the extents of interprofessional practice and each of the outcome implications. Data were collected using a questionnaire survey and were analyzed using means, standard deviations, t tests, correlation and regression statistics, and Chi-square tests. Results showed that the health professionals rated the practice of interprofessional collaboration low and perceived that the extents of the practice negatively affected patient's mortality, professionals' work performance, job satisfaction, and the frequency of interprofessional conflicts and strike actions. Recommendations included policy formulation and implementation, commitment and willingness by the health professionals to teamwork and patient-centered care. The implications for positive social change is that these results could be used as a tool to advocate for policy formulation and policy change for effective implementation of interprofessional collaboration; and as a database for future training intervention on collaborative practices among health professionals.

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