Psychometric Evaluation of the Intraprofessional Collaborative Practice Survey in Entry-Level Occupational Therapy Students: A Rasch Analysis

Importance Collaboration between occupational therapists (OTs) and occupational therapy assistants (OTAs) supports coordinated client-centered care. Although the Intraprofessional Collaborative Practice Survey (ICPS) has been used to document progress in occupational therapy, Rasch-based psychometric evidence is limited. Objective To evaluate the ICPS psychometric properties using Rasch analysis and examine differential item functioning (DIF) between master of occupational therapy (MOT) and doctor of occupational therapy (OTD) students. Design Cross-sectional psychometric validation study. Setting Accredited occupational therapy programs across the United States. Participants In total, 444 occupational therapy students (272 MOT [mean age = 24.55 years; 7.4% male] and 172 OTD [mean age = 24.84 years; 8.7% male]). Outcomes and Measures Intraprofessional Collaborative Practice Survey (ICPS)-Occupational Therapist version, a 20-item survey with Perceived Importance and Perceived Ability modules across four domains: Intraprofessional Teamwork, Roles and Responsibilities for Collaborative Practice, Communication for Intraprofessional Practice, and Values and Ethics for Intraprofessional Practice. Results Unidimensionality was confirmed for the four domains within both the Perceived Importance and Perceived Ability modules. Response categories advanced monotonically, supporting appropriate functioning of the 3-point rating scale. Item fit was acceptable. Ceiling effects were observed across both modules; no floor effects were found. Item separation indicated stable item ordering. Two Perceived Importance items demonstrated meaningful DIF between MOT and OTD students. Conclusions and Relevance The ICPS demonstrated satisfactory construct validity, and most items functioned comparably across MOT and OTD programs. Ceiling effects in the Perceived Importance items may limit sensitivity to change at higher endorsement levels. Two DIF items warrant further examination.