Using the Theory of Planned Behaviour to examine health professional students' behavioural intentions in relation to medication safety and collaborative practice

• Safe medication practices depend upon health professionals ability to communicate and collaboratively effectively.
• However, measurement of these skills is fraught with conceptual and practical difficulties.
• We used a TBP-based questionnaire to predict health professional students’ intentions in relation to medication safety.
• Attitude was the most significant predictor of students' behavioural intentions in relation to medication safety.

SummaryBackgroundSafe medication practices depend upon, not only on individual responsibilities, but also effective communication and collaboration between members of the medication team. However, measurement of these skills is fraught with conceptual and practical difficulties.AimsThe aims of this study were to explore the utility of a Theory of Planned Behaviour-based questionnaire to predict health professional students' behavioural intentions in relation to medication safety and collaborative practice; and to determine the contribution of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control to behavioural intentions.DesignA descriptive cross-sectional survey based upon the Theory of Planned Behaviour was designed and tested.ParticipantsA convenience sample of 65 undergraduate pharmacy, nursing and medicine students from one semi-metropolitan Australian university were recruited for the study.MethodsParticipants' behavioural intentions, attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control to behavioural intentions in relation to medication safety were measured using an online version of the Theory of Planned Behaviour Medication Safety Questionnaire.ResultsThe Questionnaire had good internal consistency with a Cronbach's alpha of 0.844. The three predictor variables of attitudes, subjective norms, and perceived control accounted for between 30 and 46% of the variance in behavioural intention; this is a strong prediction in comparison to previous studies using the Theory of Planned Behaviour. Data analysis also indicated that attitude was the most significant predictor of participants' intention to collaborate with other team members to improve medication safety.ConclusionThe results from this study provide preliminary support for the Theory of Planned Behaviour—Medication Safety Questionnaire as a valid instrument for examining health professional students' behavioural intentions in relation to medication safety and collaborative practice.