Developing an interprofessional learning and working culture to improve person-centred care in nursing homes: a realist action research protocol

Introduction Healthcare is changing due to the ageing of the general population, complex care demands and growing attention to person-centred care. To deal with these changes and provide the best possible person-centred care, the different professionals in nursing homes should all collaborate intensively. However, most professionals work within the field of their own expertise and share very little knowledge, experiences and insights. A lack of an interprofessional learning and working culture also prevents professionals with different expertise from working and learning intensively together to achieve high-quality person-centred care. There is a gap of knowledge about how to develop such a culture. Our aim is to provide insights into what actions, in what context and to what extent can contribute to an impactful development of an interprofessional learning and working culture. Methods and analysis The realist action research design will be applied. It consists of three iterative steps: plan, act and observe, and reflect. First, we will formulate the theory about interprofessional learning and working culture and measure this culture by means of interviews, focus groups and questionnaires. Second, we will apply the nine principles of Practice Development to coach professionals from six Dutch nursing homes to improve their interprofessional learning and working culture. Finally, we will evaluate the impact of the changed attitudes and skills on healthcare practice. Ethics and dissemination Approval for the project was given by the Hogeschool van Arnhem en Nijmegen (HAN) Research Ethics Committee, the Netherlands, registration number EACO 164.12/19. All organisations, professionals and residents/family members will be informed verbally and by letter about the study and asked for informed consent. The results will be presented in peer-reviewed scientific journals, professional journals and at symposia and conferences. The findings will be transferred to an online toolbox and e-learning modules for graduated professionals and students.