Stereotypes of experienced health professionals in an interprofessional context: results from a cross-sectional survey in Germany

Interprofessional teamwork often suffers from the existence of negative stereotypes. To combat their prevalence, interprofessional education (IPE) activities are being implemented worldwide. The aim of this study is to inform IPE developers of the prevalence and content of interprofessional stereotypes in the workplace in Germany and similarly structured healthcare systems. We surveyed health professionals with several years of work experience as nurse, midwife, or therapist concerning their attitudes toward their own professions and those of doctors using an established trait rating measure and a qualitative approach. Stereotypes of respondents (N = 129) were mostly related to (1) academic, medical competence (being perceived as lower than that of doctors) and (2) the traditional role relationship (strict hierarchy, dependence on doctors) that guides a lot of behavior, such as the little participation of nurses, midwives and therapists. Despite profound structural differences in the education and healthcare systems, our analyses further revealed similar topics for further IPE activities as in international research, such as the general demand to convey knowledge about the roles, skills and responsibilities of the other professions. The demand to improve the teamwork skills of all health professionals and empower them to be full and equal members of the healthcare team was also evident. Thus, a more reflective approach to stereotypes and their impact on interprofessional teamwork is indicated, particularly in workplace-based interprofessional learning activities. More generally, to counteract stereotypes a more widespread adoption of IPE in pre and post licensure health professions education and continuing professional development in Germany is needed.