Clinical Supervision in Singapore: Allied Health Professional Perspectives from a two-round Delphi Study

Abstract

Purpose: This study investigated Allied Health Practitioners’ (AHPs) perspectives on and consensus of clinical supervision in an acute tertiary hospital in Singapore. Specifically, AHPs’ views on the benefits of and barriers surrounding engaging in clinical supervision, as well as strategies for enhancing clinical supervision experience. Method: A Delphi approach utilizing a two-round process via online questionnaires was employed. A total of 77 AHPs responded to the first round of the Delphi questionnaire and 55 AHPs completed the second round (71% retention rate). Open-ended responses from the first round underwent thematic analysis and resulted in sixty statements (five themes) describing engagement in clinical supervision. In the second round, AHPs were asked to rate each characteristic of clinical supervision on a 5 point Likert Scale. Results: Consensus was reached on 52 statements using a cut off of greater than 68% positive respondents and an interquartile deviation (IQD) ≤1. The study identified 52 statements considered important for successful clinical supervision for AHP in an acute tertiary hospital in Singapore. Conclusions: The themes and underpinning statements provide insights about clinical supervision in the Singapore hospital setting.