Abstract
BACKGROUND: Primary healthcare (PHC) serves as the initial point of contact for patients, providing a broad range of services including prevention, rehabilitation, and continuous care for manageable conditions. It relies on an interdisciplinary approach, integrating various healthcare and social professionals (HCSPs) such as physicians, therapists, nurses, and midwives to ensure comprehensive and patient-centered care. Despite its pivotal role in healthcare systems, variations in interprofessional collaboration (IPC) within PHC settings remain underexplored, particularly in Austria. This study aims to quantitatively examine the extent and areas of IPC in Austrian PHC settings. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted as part of the GWS-PHC Study, which investigates IPC in PHC. A total of 102 HCSPs who worked in PHC over the past five years were surveyed. The sample included 78 individuals from primary healthcare units (PHCUs) and 24 from extramural settings (ES) with strong ties to PHC. Data was collected on the frequency and area of IPC across various professional groups. RESULTS: The study revealed considerable variability both in frequency and area in IPC in the Austrian PHC sector. While PHCUs tend to exhibit relatively high levels of collaboration, such integrative practices appear less pronounced in ES. In PHCUs, care coordination is often facilitated by joint efforts among diverse professional groups, whereas in ES, interprofessional interaction comparatively appears to be more constrained. Collaboration was strongest in areas such as long-term care for chronic conditions and health promotion, while areas such as fertility treatment were significantly under-represented in terms of interprofessional engagement. CONCLUSIONS: The findings highlight the heterogeneity of IPC within Austrian PHC settings, emphasizing the need for tailored strategies to enhance collaboration in underrepresented areas. The study also underscores the importance of structural support and targeted educational programs to foster effective IPC, ensuring that healthcare providers are adequately prepared to meet the complex needs of patients in PHC settings. Furthermore, the study highlighted deficiencies in preparatory education regarding IPC competencies, indicating a need for curricular adaptations to integrate IPC training more effectively into educational programs.