Original Research Impact of Interprofessional Education on Collaboration Attitudes, Skills, and Behavior Among Primary Care Professionals SARAH ROBBEN, MD; MARIEKE PERRY , MD, PHD; LEONTIEN VAN NIEUWENHUIJZEN, MSC; THEO VAN ACHTERBERG, RN, PHD; MARCEL OLDE RIKKERT, MD, PHD; HENK SCHERS, MD, PHD; MAUD HEINEN, RN, PHD; RENÉ MELIS, MD, PHD Introduction: Care for the frail elderly is often provided by several professionals. Collaboration between them is essential, but remains difficult to achieve. Interprofessional education (IPE) can improve this collaboration. We developed a 9-hour IPE program for primary care professionals from 7 disciplines caring for the frail elderly, and aimed to establish whether the program improved professionals’ interprofessional attitudes and attitudes toward collaboration, collaboration skills, and collaborative behavior. We also evaluated learners’ reactions to the program. Methods: Before–after study, using the Interprofessional Attitudes Questionnaire (IAQ, score:1 to 7); Attitudes Toward Health Care Teams Scale (ATHCTS, score: 0 to 105); and Team Skills Scale (TSS, score:17 to 85). Additionally, semistructured interviews were conducted with 10 selected participants. Results: Participants’ ( N = 80) overall interprofessional attitudes improved (IAQ baseline: 5.49; follow-up: 5.67, p = 0.001); attitudes toward geriatric teams did not change (ATHCTS baseline: 69.9; follow-up: 69.1, p = 0.32). Participants’ self-reported team skills improved (TSS baseline: 45.7; follow-up: 48.1, p = 0.001). In the interviews, many interviewees reported increased collaboration with professionals of other disciplines due to the program. Interviewees considered the program’s interprofessional nature and attending the program with local professionals important contributing factors to the experienced improvements in collaboration. However, they also noted that not all parts of the program had met the needs of all participating disciplines, due to differences in professional background and knowledge. Discussion: A brief IPE program can improve interprofessional attitudes, collaboration skills, and collaborative behavior. That such a program allows professionals to get acquainted with each other and each other’s viewpoints appears to be as important as the educational content. Key Words: interprofessional education, collaboration, frail elderly, primary care Disclosures: The authors report none. Dr. Robben: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Ni- jmegen Medical Centre; Dr. Perry: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Rad- boud University Nijmegen Medical Centre; Ms. van Nieuwenhuijzen: De- partment of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre; Dr. van Achterberg: Scientific Institute for Quality of Healthcare, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre; Dr. Olde Rikkert: Depart- ment of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre; Dr. Schers: Department of Primary and Community Care, Centre for Family Medicine, Geriatric Care and Public Health, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre; Dr. Heinen: Scientific Institute for Quality of Healthcare, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre; Dr. Melis: Department of Geriatric Medicine, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre. Correspondence: Sarah Robben, Department of Geriatric Medicine 925, Radboud University Nijmegen Medical Centre, P.O. Box 9101, 6500 HB Nijmegen, the Netherlands; e-mail: s.robben@ger.umcn.nl. Introduction Due to the current fragmentation of care, care for a single patient is often provided by a large number of professionals from a variety of disciplines. 1 This applies particularly to patients with complex care needs, such as frail elderly. 2 In order to be able to provide frail elderly with the best care possible, collaboration between all professionals involved is essential. C  2012 The Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions, the Society for Academic Continuing Medical Education, and the Council on Continuing Medical Education, Association for Hospital Medical Education.  Published online in Wiley Online Library (wileyonlinelibrary.com). DOI: 10.1002/chp.21145 JOURNAL OF CONTINUING EDUCATION IN THE HEALTH PROFESSIONS, 32(3):196–204, 2012