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Margaret A. Drewlo is a 2014 graduate of the PsyD Program in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University Seattle.

  • Patricia Linn, PhD - Committee Chair
  • Mary Wieneke, PhD - Committee Member
  • Natasha R. Harvey, PhD - Committee Member

Keywords

collaboration, interprofessional, psychologist, primary health care physicians, survey research, mental health

Document Type

Dissertation

Publication Date

2014

Abstract

This survey study explored factors in optimal collaboration between registered psychologists and primary healthcare physicians (PHCP). With rising costs of healthcare, healthcare funding cuts, and changes in the way healthcare delivery is perceived, interprofessional collaboration is timely to explore. In particular, the attitudes of registered psychologists about salient factors noted in the collaboration literature, such as education and training, accessibility, and communication factors are important to the practice of psychology. As part of the exploratory nature of the study, questions about gender and hierarchy were also presented. While most data were quantitative, qualitative data were gathered on 6 of the 39 questions in the survey. Participants were 349 registered psychologists from all provinces in Canada, 125 male, 222 female. Two hundred and ninety five participants completed the survey in English; 54 completed the survey in French. Predictor variables used were education and training, accessibility, and communication factors. These were related to the criterion variable preferred form of collaboration consisting of the following levels of contact: (a) classic form of referral and consultation, (b) informal collaboration/ corridor consultation, (c) formal collaboration, (d) co-provision of care, and (e) co-therapy. Exploratory areas were hierarchy and necessity. Results of descriptive analysis of central tendencies and variability of the variables in the study were presented. Further data analysis indicated significance between the predictor variable of necessity and the criterion variable preferred form of collaboration. Analysis also revealed significance between the predictor variable education and training and the criterion variable: preferred form of collaboration. Finally, multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed a significant relationship among the variables age, years of practice and field of psychology as they relate to a preference for interprofessional collaboration. While the above relationships were statistically significant, the amount of variance explained was small suggesting caution in generalizing the findings. Significance was not found with other factors deemed important in the relevant literature. Data analysis also revealed that although a majority of registered psychologists in the study did not view forms of collaboration with closer contact than classic referral to be viable in their current practice, 75% preferred forms of collaboration involving more contact with the primary healthcare physicians with whom they work. Collaboration between registered psychologists and primary healthcare physicians may benefit from research using a refined scale of collaboration measurement. The electronic version of this dissertation is at OhioLink ETD Center, www.ohiolink.edu/etd

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