Les variables associées à la collaboration interprofessionnelle dans les équipes interdisciplinaires de santé mentale

Studies have shown that interprofessional collaboration (IPC) has a positive impact on service users, health professionals and healthcare organizations. However, researchers believe that the adoption of IPC in organizations and health services is insufficient, leading to conflict among professionals, medical errors, increased costs of care and higher mortality rates. While IPC has emerged over the past several years as a best practice, research is needed to identify variables associated with IPC, particularly in mental health (MH) which has received relatively little attention. The present thesis aims to fill these gaps and to deepen the present state of knowledge about IPC, particularly in the MH field.  Three hundred and fifteen (315) MH professionals working in interdisciplinary primary care teams (N = 101) and specialized MH teams (N = 214) located in four Quebec local service networks (RLS) participated in the study. Many of the variables recognized as strongly associated with IPC in the health sciences literature, were integrated and categorized within a conceptual framework inspired by the Bronstein model (2003). Three specific study objectives were established, with each one the subject of a scientific article.  The first article aimed to identify variables associated with IPC in interdisciplinary MH teams. Linear regression analyzes were performed. Five variables related to interpersonal characteristics (emotional commitment to the team, team climate, team autonomy, knowledge sharing and integration), one variable related to professional role (identification multifocal) and another related to personal characteristics (age) were associated with IPC.   The second article aimed to identify profiles of MH professionals according to their perception of IPC as well as other distinguishing variables. Using Cluster Analysis, four profiles of MH professionals were identified. Two profiles had high levels of IPC, one profile an average level, and the other profile a low level of IPC. Organizational support, participation in decision-making, mutual trust, emotional commitment to the team, belief in the benefits of IPC, knowledge sharing, and knowledge integration were associated with the profiles that revealed high IPC scores. By contrast, team conflicts were associated with the profile of MH professionals with the lowest IPC score.  Finally, the third article focused on a comparison of IPC-related variables by care settings: primary health care (PHC) and specialized MH care. These two contexts of care differ in terms of their activities, clients served, the actors involved in care episodes of care and the roles of team members. Two multivariate regression models were performed, identifying the following variables as significantly associated with each of the care settings: knowledge sharing for PHC teams, and organizational support and age for specialized MH teams.  Considering the above, recommendations have been made to managers, health and social service centers and care organizations for promoting IPC in interdisciplinary MH teams.

Keyphrases: Interprofessional collaboration, Interdisciplinary mental health teams, Mental health professionals, Associated variables, Multiple linear regression, Cluster analysis, Primary health care, Specialized mental health services