Sociomaterial perspective as applied in interprofessional education and collaborative practice: a scoping review

Abstract

Learning and working together towards better health outcomes today have become more complex requiring an investigation on how interprofessional education (IPE) and interprofessional collaboration (IPC) practices could be sustained and further developed. Through a sociomaterial perspective, we can better understand IPE and IPC practices by foregrounding the material aspect of learning and working together and examining its relationship with humans and their interactions. This article aimed to examine existing literature that discusses the application of sociomaterial perspectives in IPE and IPC. A scoping review was conducted following Arksey and O’Malley’s framework to explore the extent within the current body of knowledge that discuss how sociomaterial perspective is applied in IPE and IPC practices. A systematic database search was performed in September 2021 to retrieve literature published from 2007 onwards, with forty-three papers meeting the inclusion criteria. These papers included research articles, book chapters, conference papers and commentaries, with the majority originating from Europe. The thematic analysis revealed the following themes: (1) power as a sociomaterial entity shaping IPE and IPC; (2) inclusion of non-health professionals in reimagining IPE and IPC practices, and (3) the critical understanding of sociomateriality. The findings suggest that a sociomaterial perspective can allow for the reimagination of the contemporary and future practices of interprofessionalism.

Enhancing interprofessional teamwork between youth care professionals using an electronic health record; a mixed methods intervention study

“…However, bringing together professionals from three organizations with different backgrounds added complexity to the situation in at least two ways. First, previous researchers have reported that interprofessional practice can be hampered by power inequality between academic and non-academic staff or between the physicians and other healthcare professionals (Bångsbo et al, 2022 ; Cohen; Konrad et al, 2019 ; Sy et al, 2023 ). Second, professional roles and scopes differ greatly between the healthcare and social fields, calling for more discussion on who professionals are and what they can expect from each other (Ambrose-Miller & Ashcroft, 2016 ).…”