Changing dominance in mixed profession groups: putting theory into practice

The development and psychometric evaluation of an interprofessional identity measure: Extended Professional Identity Scale (EPIS)

“…Stage 1 concerned the clarification of interprofessional identity as a construct. For this purpose the Extended Professional Identity Theory (Reinders, 2018;Reinders et al, 2018a) was used. Indirect evidence for the viability of this psychological theory is available (Reinders, Krijnen, Stegenga, & van der Schans, 2017) but direct evidence was still lacking: confirmation of three-dimensionality and interrelatedness of interprofessional identity characteristics.…”

“…The usefulness of any scientific theory is determined by its falsifiable ability to predict a complex phenomenon adequately (Popper, 1963). According to the Extended Professional Identity Theory (EPIT; Reinders, 2018;Reinders et al, 2018a) an interprofessional identity is a social identity based on a widening circle of group membership that consists of more than one profession. EPIT states that interprofessional identity a superordinate social identity of professional identity with three interrelated characteristics:…”

“…Third, to be able to distinguish interprofessional identity from other factors when investigating antecedents of successful joint outcomes. Fourth, to investigate the effectiveness of interventions in practice and education (Reinders et al, 2018a). Fifth, to investigate socialization factors associated with identity formation and interprofessional collaboration (Cruess, Cruess, Boudreau, Snell, & Steinert, 2015).…”

“…Finally, to use it as a learning tool for individual interprofessional self-reflection (Clark, 2009). According to EPIT (Reinders, 2018;Reinders et al, 2018a) an interprofessional identity is a social identity, and it should also consist of social identity characteristics. However, the three characteristics (interprofessional belonging, interprofessional commitment and interprofessional beliefs) as described by EPIT, are not concepts which are measured by any current instrument.…”

“…With regard to interprofessional commitment, no measurement can be found even though commitment is considered an important predictor of work behavior when investigating professional identity (Lee, Carswell, & Allen, 2000). In addition, group commitment is associated with ingroup identification (Ellemers, Spears, & Doosje, 1997) which is in line with EPIT (Reinders, 2018;Reinders et al, 2018a). Commitment emerges from positive experiences associated with attitudinal processes of development (Brown, 1996).…”