Exploring Norwegian prison frontline workers’ perceptions of interprofessional collaboration – a pilot study
International Journal of Prisoner Health
ISSN: 1744-9200
Article publication date: 15 December 2021
Issue publication date: 24 November 2022
Abstract
Purpose
Interprofessional collaboration is necessary for handling the complex psychosocial needs of prisoners. This collaboration must be addressed to avoid high recidivism rates and the human and societal costs linked to them. Challenges are exacerbated by a linear approach to handling prisoners’ problems, silo working between welfare agencies and professional boundaries between frontline workers. There are few adequate theoretical frameworks and tools to address these challenges in the prison context. The purpose of this study is to explore the perceptions that frontline staff working in Norwegian prison facilities have regarding interprofessional collaboration in providing mental health services for prisoners.
Design/methodology/approach
This study had a non-experimental, cross-sectional design to explore perceptions of interprofessional collaboration in a prison context. Descriptive and multifactorial analyses (exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis) were used to explore the data.
Findings
The analysis showed that three factors, communication, organizational culture and domain, explained 95% of the variance. Results are discussed using relational coordination, as well as the conceptual PINCOM model, as a theoretical framework.
Originality/value
Few studies explicitly explore collaboration between professionals in mental health and prison services despite its being a prerequisite to achieving sufficient services for prisoners. To our knowledge, this current study is one of the first in Norway to explore collaboration in a prison context by analysing quantitative data and focusing on frontline workers perception of the phenomenon.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
The authors would like to thank professor emeritus, Petter Laake, for his essential contribution on this manuscript. It is much appreciated.
Citation
Larsen, B.K., Hean, S. and Ødegård, A. (2022), "Exploring Norwegian prison frontline workers’ perceptions of interprofessional collaboration – a pilot study", International Journal of Prisoner Health, Vol. 18 No. 4, pp. 429-442. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPH-08-2021-0084
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
Copyright © 2021, Emerald Publishing Limited