title: Continuing differences between health professions' attitudes: the saga of accomplishing systems-wide interprofessionalism.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare four health professions' attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration (IPC) and their evaluations of a programme aimed at enhancing IPC across a health system.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire survey.
  
  
  METHODS
  Australian Capital Territory health services.
  
  
  METHODS
  Sample of medical (38), nursing (198), allied health (152) and administrative (30) staff.
  
  
  METHODS
  s) A 4-year action research project to improve IPC.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire evaluating the project and responses to the 'Attitudes toward Health Care Teams' and 'Readiness for Interprofessional Learning' scales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant professional differences occurred in 90% of the evaluation items. Doctors were the least and administrative staff most likely to agree project aims had been met. Nurses made more favourable assessments than did allied health staff. Doctors made the most negative assessments and allied health staff the most neutral ratings. Improved interprofessional sharing of knowledge, teamwork and patient care were among the goals held to have been most achieved. Reduction in interprofessional rivalry and improved trust and communication were least achieved. Average assessment of individual goals being met was agree (31.9%), neutral (56.9%) and disagree (11.2%). On the two attitude scales, allied health professionals were most supportive of IPC, followed by nurses, administrators and doctors.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although overall attitudes towards IPC were favourable, only a third of participants reported that project goals had been achieved indicating the difficulties of implementing systems change. The response profiles of the professions differed. As in the previous research, doctors were least likely to hold favourable attitudes towards or endorse benefits from social or structural interventions in health care.
authors.affiliation: Australian Institute of Health Innovation, Centre for Clinical Governance Research, University of New South Wales, NSW 2052, Australia. j.braithwaite@unsw.edu.au
authors.forename: Jeffrey
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Braithwaite
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Westbrook
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nugus
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Greenfield
authors.forename: Joanne
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Travaglia
authors.forename: William
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Runciman
authors.forename: A Ruth
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Foxwell
authors.forename: Rosalie A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Boyce
authors.forename: Timothy
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Devinney
authors.forename: Johanna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Westbrook
mesh_terms: D000288:Administrative Personnel; D000488:Allied Health Personnel; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D020958:Australian Capital Territory; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006282:Health Personnel / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008503:Medical Staff; D009740:Nursing Staff; D015279:Organizational Culture; D009936:Organizational Innovation; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires