Together we stand, divided we fall: Interprofessional collaborative practice competencies from Malaysian medical professionals' perspectives

Abstract

Abstract Objective As the demands on the health care system are increasing, there are more calls to embed interprofessional education (IPE) into health professionals' curriculum. However, the outcomes for the curriculum are still being defined, and there is limited information about IPE in medical contexts to guide educators. This study aims to explore medical professionalism from the perspective of Malaysian medical professionals and specifically the interprofessional collaborative practice (ICP) competencies that are expected from physicians in Malaysian medical contexts. Methods We conducted focus-group discussions with medical doctors in Malaysia to capture the participants' experiences and views on medical professionalism and ICP. We then conducted a thematic analysis of the transcripts. The data were managed by Atlas.Ti software. Results As many as 22 academician and non-academician medical doctors participated in this study. From the focus-group discussions, eight themes emerged to describe medical professionalism in Malaysia. These themes can be categorized into common, complementary and collaborative competencies. We found that collaborative competencies in Malaysia include ‘leadership and interprofessional skills’ and ‘patient primacy’. Conclusion This study provided a preliminary description of medical professionalism and collaborative competencies expected in Malaysia. The findings of this study provide a skeleton for further studies about effective teaching strategies and assessment tools that are used to impart IPE.