Table 2.

Representative answers to Questions 2 and 3

Profession	Explanations
Doctor	Reasons for “Yes”
	• Conferences are being held and staff can share patients’ information.
	• Some devoted certified diabetes educators (CDEs) manage regular meetings with CDEs and that unites them.
	Reasons for “No”
	• Opportunities for interprofessional communication are infrequent.
	• Role sharing among professionals is imperfect.
	• Education for medical staff is still insufficient.
	• Each professional is required to prioritize their own section’s work and it is difficult to work as a member of an interprofessional team regardless of section and bases.
	• Interprofessional coordination is difficult especially at a university hospital.
	• There are no diabetes specialists.
	Reasons for “Not sure”
	• Interprofessional communication among the staff in the ward is successful but among staff at the outpatient clinic, it is not working well. In addition, the sharing of patients’ information between staff at the ward and staff at the outpatient clinic is insufficient.
	• We are trying to create this, but because we are working at a small clinic, the system for interprofessional teamwork has not yet been established.
	Proposal for improvement
	• Try to provide more opportunities for interprofessional communication between staff in the ward and staff at the outpatient clinic.
Nurse	Reasons for “Yes”
	• Educational classes for patients are conducted by multidisciplinary medical personnel.
	• Each professional seems to be fulfilling his or her duties.
	• At small medical facilities, such as the clinic, nurses and physicians see patients together and cooperate well.
	Reasons for “No”
	• Doctors just give directions and are not inclined to discuss things with us.
	• Thinking that physicians may be busy, we tend to hesitate asking questions or proposing an idea about patient care.
	• There are gaps in the motivation levels of team members.
	• Other professions, especially physicians, seem not to be willing to collaborate positively with us.
	• Because I am working at a small clinic, I have no chance to talk with patients and check their medical records. I feel that physicians do not expect nurses to educate patients much.
	• No interprofessional conferences exist.
	• Nurses lack knowledge about diabetes care because nurses have to learn and experience a wide medical field.
	• Too busy to have detailed conversations with other staff or patients.
	• Rely on physicians too much. Other nonphysician staff are unmotivated.
	• Some nurses are reluctant to involve other professions.
	• Educational classes for diabetic patients have been conducted; however, no discussion or feedback is provided among the lecturers.
	• Each professional is required to prioritize their own sectional work and it is difficult to work as a member of an interprofessional team.
	Reasons for “Not sure”
	• No coordination and information sharing between staff engaged in the outpatient clinic and hospital ward.
	• We have a chance to discuss things with doctors and dietitians at conferences but have hardly any chance to discuss things with physiotherapists or clinical laboratory technicians.
	• Physicians are too busy to attend conferences.
	• At interprofessional meetings, physicians take the lead in decisions, and ideas or comments from other professions are hardly adopted.
	• There are big differences in the levels of knowledge and motivation for diabetes care among interprofessional team members.
	• Doctors’ understanding and cooperation for medical care provided by nurses is insufficient.
	• Other staff are not cooperative and are unmotivated. I am the only certified diabetes educator in my hospital and to manage interprofessional teamwork is a large burden for me.
	• We are proud that we are doing well, but the person who is central to an interprofessional team will be retiring soon. We want to recruit new staff; however, the young staff do not seem to show motivation toward diabetes care.
	Proposals for improvement
	• To make more time to talk with patients and to discuss with other professionals; efforts to increase the number of staff, and efforts to create a better environment for patient care, will be necessary.
	• Hold interprofessional meetings or conferences regularly.
Registered dietitian	Reasons for “Yes”
	• Interprofessional meetings work well and are helpful to share patients’ information.
	• Because I am working at a small clinic, I can share patients’ information with other staff frequently during my spare time.
	• Interprofessional teams both at the outpatient clinic and hospital ward are working efficiently.
	• Certified diabetes educators are contributing their professional skills and knowledge.
	• Physicians take the lead during interprofessional teamwork.
	Reasons for “No”
	• There are big differences in the levels of knowledge and motivation for diabetes care among interprofessional medical staff.
	• Certified diabetes educators in my clinic work part-time and their motivation is decreasing.
	• Interprofessional meetings are insufficient.
	• Owing to the lack of labor, we have no time for additional interprofessional teamwork.
	Reasons for “Not sure”
	• Pharmacists and physiotherapists are not attending interprofessional meetings or conferences.
	• Because of different ideologies and aims among interprofessional team members, sometimes it is difficult to gain consensus for things that need to be decided.
	• We have educational classes for patients; however, lectures are becoming monotonous.
	Proposals for improvement
	• Each staff member should develop knowledge and experience regarding diabetes care to contribute as a member of an interprofessional team.
	• Each staff member needs self-improvement to give full play to his or her ability.
	• Establish an effective system to coordinate interprofessional team members.
Pharmacist	Reasons for “Yes”
	• Regular interprofessional meetings are conducted regarding educational classes for diabetic patients.
	Reasons for “No”
	• There is no physician specializing in diabetes. We cannot perform interprofessional teamwork without a specialist.
	• We have interprofessional meetings but we are not exchanging patients’ information.
	• There is no interprofessional communication.
	Reasons for “Not sure”
	• The present hospital I am working at seems to me less enthusiastic to partake in interprofessional teamwork compared to my previous workplace.
	• I am working at a small hospital. There are only two pharmacists, one dietitian, and two clinical laboratory technicians and only now are we planning to work as an interprofessional team.
	• Team members cooperate well; however, because we are not engaged in diabetes care exclusively, we cannot spare enough time.
	Proposal for improvement
	• Increase the number of interprofessional meetings to understand more profoundly the duties of the other professions.
Physiotherapist	Reasons for “Yes”
	• The staff in every occupation are involved in a patient’s care.
	Reasons for “No”
	• Because of lack of labor and time, we cannot attend the meetings.
	• Not all professions are attending the interprofessional meetings.
	Reasons for “Not sure”
	• There are big differences in the levels of knowledge and motivation for diabetes care among team members.
	Proposal for improvement
	• Increase the number of staff so that we can attend the meetings and have more time to talk with patients.
Clinical laboratory technician	Reasons for “Yes”
	• Regular interprofessional meetings are held every week and we can share patients’ information.
	Reasons for “No”
	• The sharing of patient information is not sufficient.
	Reasons for “Not sure”
	• The staff are lacking self-direction.
	Proposal for improvement
	• Improve the quality of interprofessional meetings.

Notes: The representative descriptions from each profession regarding the reasons for their answers to the question and their proposals to improve the current situation.