This qualitative research synthesis reviews interpretive scholarly papers on multi-disciplinary primary care teams. A bibliographic search was conducted in electronic databases: Medline, Embase, and the Web of Science Citation Index, and in the references of retrieved papers. The research consists of a taxonomic analysis of 19 qualitative studies about primary care teams published in peer-reviewed journals between 2001 and July 2008 in English and French. Nineteen qualitative studies were synthesized. Two major concerns emerged: (1) strategies for organizational change toward effective co-operative practice, and (2) dimensions of team interactions and work relations. The authors conclude that qualitative results suggest common strategies to improve the development of primary care teams, while identifying dimensions of team interactions that remain problematic. A fundamental aspect of team formation appears to be overlooked, i.e., the construction of a collective identity, which would involve the whole team in a shared ideal of co-operative practice. The adoption of discourse analysis is suggested as a more sophisticated qualitative methodology to explore this issue. Read More: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13561820802380035

The present study investigates professionals ’ perceptions of interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in the field of mental health care for children and adolescents. In this study, a 48-item questionnaire was developed to measure perceptions of interprofessional collaboration. A theoretical model (PINCOM) is presented and suggests that interprofessional collaboration is perceived at the individual-, group- and organizational level. The questionnaire was distributed to a sample consisting of 157 professionals in Western Norway. The results of this exploratory study show that the most prominent constructs of collaboration perceived by the professionals were: motivation, group leadership, social support and organizational culture. Furthermore, results indicate that women are more oriented than men toward IPC aspects of communication, coping and organizational domain. It is suggested that the questionnaire may be used to help improve interprofessional collaboration in clinical practice by indicating new ways to enhance dialogue between professionals and to investigate changes in perception of interprofessional collaboration over time. Limitations of the present study were identified and suggestions for future studies within the field are provided. Read More: http://informahealthcare.com/doi/abs/10.1080/13561820902739981

This study examines the process of collaboration between agencies working with high-risk gang youth. Using semi-structured interviews with direct practitioners and observations of a collaborative event at a juvenile prison, this theory-generating study examined the strengths of and barriers to collaboration between adolescent-serving agencies. Practitioners indicated the importance of communication and cooperation as elements of a successful collaboration. In practice, however, these elements were often replaced by premature termination of collaborative arrangements, blaming other agencies for failure of youth, and diffusion of responsibility (“passing the buck”). This study proposes agency fear as a factor separating desired from actual practice, and proposes potential causes and outcomes of agency fear.