BACKGROUND: The concordance model of patient care requires decision-making to be a shared process whereby healthcare providers take patients' understanding of their illness and concerns into consideration. The extent to which providers involve patients in decision-making differs by discipline. In order for patients to receive better interdisciplinary care, the lack of congruence among providers to involve patients in decision-making must be addressed. AIM: To examine the attitudes of students in nursing, respiratory care, and pharmacy toward concordance and whether attitudes differed across these three allied health professions. METHODS: A cross-sectional, exploratory design was used. Two hundred seventy-six students enrolled in four courses (2 nursing, 1 respiratory care, and 1 pharmacy) completed the LATCon II scale over a 4-week period. Reliability of the LATCon II scale was examined using Cronbach alpha. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted using SPSS version 17.0. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-eight students participated in the study. Of them, 97.8% supported concordance, and no significant difference was found among the three professions. Few considered patients' contributions to be important or decision-making a mutual process. Demographic factors were not significant. CONCLUSION: Students held positive attitudes toward concordance, and similar attitudes toward concordance bode well for interprofessional collaboration in healthcare. Strategies to improve concordance attitudes and practice need to be explored.
BACKGROUND: The concordance model of patient care requires decision-making to be a shared process whereby healthcare providers take patients' understanding of their illness and concerns into consideration. The extent to which providers involve patients in decision-making differs by discipline. In order for patients to receive better interdisciplinary care, the lack of congruence among providers to involve patients in decision-making must be addressed. AIM: To examine the attitudes of students in nursing, respiratory care, and pharmacy toward concordance and whether attitudes differed across these three allied health professions. METHODS: A cross-sectional, exploratory design was used. Two hundred seventy-six students enrolled in four courses (2 nursing, 1 respiratory care, and 1 pharmacy) completed the LATCon II scale over a 4-week period. Reliability of the LATCon II scale was examined using Cronbach alpha. Descriptive and bivariate analyses were conducted using SPSS version 17.0. RESULTS: Two hundred sixty-eight students participated in the study. Of them, 97.8% supported concordance, and no significant difference was found among the three professions. Few considered patients' contributions to be important or decision-making a mutual process. Demographic factors were not significant. CONCLUSION: Students held positive attitudes toward concordance, and similar attitudes toward concordance bode well for interprofessional collaboration in healthcare. Strategies to improve concordance attitudes and practice need to be explored.