Building collaborative capacity: Professional role awareness in integrated older adult care teams

Abstract Background Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) enables healthcare professionals (HCPs) from different disciplines to provide coordinated, high-quality care and is central to the WHO's Integrated Care for Older People framework (WHO, 2019). In Ireland, two frameworks (O'Donnell et al., 2021; Brennan et al., 2023) identify role awareness as key to effective IPC in specialist community teams integrating care for older adults (ICPOP). However, how working in interdisciplinary integrated care teams influences HCP's understanding of their professional role and scope of practice is underexplored in the research. This study addresses that gap. Methods Qualitative semi-structured interviews were conducted with members of four ICPOP teams in Ireland. Participants (N = 39) represented all team disciplines: geriatrics, operational leads, nurses, physiotherapists, occupational therapists, social workers, dietitians, speech and language therapists, and administrative staff. Data were collected between May and July 2024 and analysed using thematic analysis. Results Four themes were identified. HCPs described Role Evolution and Development, marked by flexibility in their scope of practice and growing appreciation of roles. Capacity Building described the competence gained through sharing practice and co-learning. Strategies to Enhance Role Awareness included psychological safety, respect, trust, open communication, and joint assessments. Challenges to Role Awareness were also noted, such as power dynamics, workload, resource limitations, staff turnover, and governance issues. Conclusions The study findings have meaningful impact on the development of integrated team working in community care pathways thereby improving care for older people. Study findings are translated into a story-based educational intervention, co-designed with ICPOP teams and older people. The intervention provokes discussion of roles and acts as a mechanism for IPC capacity building within integrated care teams. Key messages • Identifying strategies to enhance role awareness and clarity among ICPOP teams is critical, given the significant impact role awareness has on the quality of care provided to older people. • A key impact of our study is a co-designed, story-based educational intervention that provokes discussions on role awareness, leading to improved care integration for older people within ICPOP teams.