The impact of three years application of the Health Care Team Challenge on inter-professional collaborative practice: A realist evaluation approach

Abstract

Literature suggests that there are positive outcomes from Interprofessional Practice and Education (IPE) concerning changes in attitude, knowledge and skills, yet there is limited evidence about changes in professional behaviour and patient outcomes. The Singapore Ministry of Health highlighted the significance of IPE in 2010, and it was then incorporated into respective health professional programmes. To use realist evaluation methodology to explore and understand the impact of a three-year implementation of the Health Care Team Challenge (HCTC) underpinned by interprofessional practice and education principles upon health professionals’ practice at the National University Hospital (NUH) of Singapore. Ten semi-structured interviews were conducted to explore participants’ views of the HCTC. The findings resonated with other international studies, and in addition, the impact of local culture was discussed and compared with other Asian studies. Following realist evaluation, two working hypotheses evolved from the totality of the study. This study suggested a positive impact of the HCTC and indicated the need for interprofessional education to occur within post-graduate education and continuing professional development for health care professionals. This study offers a reference point for other teams keen to review and refine team functioning.