Index of interdisciplinary collaboration

Social workers have been working with other professionals since the early days of the profession, especially in settings dominated by other disciplines. Whereas hospitals and schools were two of the first host organizations to employ social workers, professionals with masters of social work degrees are now found in psychiatric clinics, juvenile courts, prisons, police departments, and a range of other interdisciplinary settings (Abramson & Rosenthal, 1995; Gibelman, 1995). Despite the fact that social work practice occurs primarily in settings mandating interaction with other professionals, there are few guidelines for working with other professions or means for evaluating the effectiveness of the interaction. This article builds on existing literature and a model of interdisciplinary collaboration to present an instrument, the index of interdisciplinary collaboration (IIC), to measure the extent of collaboration between social workers and other professionals. The IIC can be used to assess these professional interactions with the goal of improved services to clients. RATIONALE Although a long-standing demand of professional social workers, interdisciplinary collaboration today is more than a demand; it is a requirement for practice as social problems continue to become increasingly common and increasingly complex. It becomes virtually impossible for any one profession to address the range of problems presented by any individual, family, institution, or community. Educators cannot teach hungry children who are too distracted to learn. Medical professionals cannot respond to managed care's demand for limited hospital stays when families lack tools necessary to care for patients at home. Psychiatrists and psychologists cannot ensure stabilization of their patients without support for medication compliance. The definition of interdisciplinary collaboration is an effective interpersonal process that facilitates the achievement of goals that cannot be reached when individual professionals act on their own (Bruner, 1991). This definition, which views collaboration as a positive as opposed to a neutral working together, reflects the way interdisciplinary collaboration is written about when compared with other closely related interpersonal processes including cooperation, communication, coordination, and partnership (Bruner, 1991; Graham & Barter, 1999; Kagan, 1992; Mailick & Ashley, 1981). Although the literature of social work and an array of other disciplines consistently argues the importance of collaboration (Abramson & Rosenthal, 1995; Blank & Lombardi, 1991; Bruner, 1991), this literature also leaves many questions unanswered. The first and fundamental unanswered question is whether interdisciplinary collaboration improves outcomes for clients. To ascertain this, we need to know what interdisciplinary collaboration is. Although definitions are put forth in the literature (Berg-Weger & Schneider, 1998; Bruner, 1991; Kagan, 1992), no model has identified either the components of, or the influences on, interdisciplinary collaboration. Given the absence of a model, there has been no method available to measure and determine the extent of collaboration that exists between professionals in any organization. In determining whether interdisciplinary collaboration is, in fact, a successful social work practice that meets its intended goal of aiding clients, a systematized, objective method needs to be available to measure the extent and evaluate the effect of collaborative practice. Such a scale can begin to answer questions regarding appropriate interventions that can increase collaboration at a variety of levels. This can help agencies in an era of increased accountability document that they carry out effective practice where expertise is maximized through the involvement of key professionals. It can help social workers identify areas where improved collaboration can occur. …