Improving interprofessional collaboration in Norwegian primary schools: A cluster-randomized study evaluating effects of the LOG model on teachers' perceptions of interprofessional collaboration.

Abstract

Increased demand for interprofessional collaboration within the educational field also increases the need for the development and evaluation of interventions to improve collaboration. In Norway, the LOG model was developed and implemented in compulsory schools to facilitate interprofessional collaboration by increasing arenas for more efficient use of existing interprofessional resources. We evaluate the effects of the model on teachers' perceptions of interprofessional collaboration in a cluster-randomized trial, with 19 schools randomized to the experimental group and 16 schools to the control group. We use data from 5^th-7^th grade teachers in the 35 participating schools (N = 157) prior to randomization and one-year into the implementation. Response rates were 70% and 74%, respectively. The PINCOM-Q scale was used to analyze effects of the model on various dimensions of interprofessional collaboration. At the one-year follow-up, the LOG model demonstrates no significant effects on teachers' perceptions of interprofessional collaboration. However, there is an indication of effect on the organizational aim dimension (ES = -0.39, CI = -0.82-0.03), but the evidence is not conclusive.