Perceptions of an acute medical unit in internal medicine on interprofessional collaboration

We aimed to assess perceptions about interprofessional collaboration (IPC) of healthcare professionals working in an acute medical unit (AMU) in an internal medicine department in the United Arab Emirates. The AMU provides care during the initial 24 to 72 hours of admission and emphasizes interprofessional collaboration. Using the Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale II, the study measured partnership, cooperation, and coordination among team members. Between November 5, 2022, and January 5, 2023, 81 participants completed the survey, including physicians (n = 45; 55.5%), nurses (n = 18; 22.2%), and clinical and non-clinical allied health professionals (n = 18; 22.2%). On a Likert-type scale of one to five, most respondents perceived partnership, cooperation, and team coordination as good collaboration on the AMU, with mean scores of 4.29, 4.16, and 4.15, respectively. There was no significant difference between physicians’ (4.18) and nurses’ (4.45) perspectives of IPC on the AMU (p = .10), but physicians were less likely to notice collaborative practice changes compared to other professionals. Introducing IPC early in medical education might enhance future collaborative practice. This study sheds light on IPC in non-Western contexts and provides insights into how collaboration is perceived and practiced in diverse healthcare settings.