Exploring physiotherapy students' experiences of interprofessional collaboration in the clinical setting: a critical incident study

Effective interprofessional collaboration is considered essential for optimum healthcare delivery. Studies have investigated interprofessional education (IPE) as a means for improving collaborative practice, and evidence suggests that the clinical setting offers opportunities for interprofessional learning (IPL). Little is known, however, about the aspects of clinical practice that students perceive as meaningful to their IPL. This study explores physiotherapy students' experiences of collaborative working, and identifies their perceptions of the skills used and factors affecting interprofessional interactions in the clinical setting. Twenty second-year physiotherapy students studying in London provided written critical incident reports describing good and poor interprofessional collaborative encounters in the clinical setting. The data were subjected to thematic content analysis. Students identified communication and interprofessional relationships as the main factors affecting collaboration and perceived teamwork in formal contexts (e.g., team meetings) as generally effective with positive outcomes for professionals and patients. Informal collaboration was perceived to be poor and attributed primarily to insufficient direct contact and communication. The wide range of described experiences and learning outcomes indicate that clinical placements provide potentially valuable IPL opportunities. Facilitating the development of informal (ad hoc) collaborative teamwork skills is proposed as an important consideration when planning and implementing IPE in this setting.