Introduction
This article by Etherington et al. (2021) examines the enablers and barriers to effective interprofessional collaboration in nursing care. Interprofessional collaboration occurs when multiple healthcare professionals from various backgrounds work together with patients, caregivers, families, and communities to provide quality patient care for various illnesses. Many healthcare organizations today try to encourage interprofessional collaboration because of its advantages, such as improved efficiency, quality of care, patient safety, job satisfaction, and reduced healthcare costs.
Article Analysis
The article is a qualitative study informed by the Theoretical Domain Framework (TDF). The article considers teamwork as essential for quality and safe healthcare. Etherington and colleagues argue in the introduction that interprofessional collaboration is important, especially in the operating room (OR), where healthcare professionals from different backgrounds, experiences, and educational backgrounds operate interdependently in a high-stake, dynamic environment. The study used the Theoretical Domain Framework (TDF), which included data collection, guided interviews, and data analysis. TDF is an effective framework for examining facilitators and barriers to behavior change among healthcare professionals.
The data used in this article was mainly collected through interviews prepared only with interested participants. The study interviewed 66 clinicians who are currently in practice. 19% were Registered Nurses, 3% were Registered Practical Nurses, 38% were surgical professionals, 25% were nurse anesthesiologists, and 29% were surgeons (Etherington et al., 2021). The interviews were de-identified, audio-recorded, and transcribed. Data analysis involved importing de-identified transcripts into NVivo for analysis. Members of the research team analyzed other contents, such as deductive-directed data, via the TDT coding framework. The results were then summarized across and within each key professional group instance, surgery, anesthesia, and surgery.
The study identified various enablers and barriers to effective interprofessional collaboration. The perceived enablers include environmental factors such as clean workplaces and the availability of resources. Other enablers identified in the article are positive emotions, effective leadership, considering teamwork as part of a professional role, and effective communication. The study considers effective leadership and communication as the main ways healthcare organizations can encourage interprofessional collaboration. Folkman et al (2019) found that nurse managers must exercise effective leadership to facilitate user-oriented and discipline-related approaches to collaboration. Integrating different professions from different backgrounds to develop a new professional competence is difficult and requires effective leadership.
The article also identified communication as a key enabler of interprofessional collaboration. Effective communication among the healthcare staff has been found to promote clarity, continuity, and effective teamwork within the healthcare team. Interviewed experts agreed that communication skills and communication channels are essential for delivering quality care. Nonclinical and clinical staff must establish a comprehensive communication channel that allows them to collaborate to improve the quality of care, prevent medication errors, and improve efficiency and patient outcomes (Etherington et al., 2021). Communication strategies such as patient-centered communication and using EHRs to promote communication were found to promote interprofessional collaboration in critical care units.
Etherington et al., 2021 also identified various barriers to effective interprofessional collaboration. Among the barriers identified are personality conflicts, hierarchy and power, and lack of training and knowledge concerning best teamwork practices. Workplace personality conflict was found to be driven by perceptions and emotions about someone else’s character and motive (Etherington et al., 2021). For example, a team member dislikes another member for being lazy and always late. Moreover, poor leadership and hierarchy of power were also a barrier to effective interprofessional collaboration.
To overcome these barriers, the article proposes that healthcare organizations develop a teamwork protocol that embraces diversity. Organizations must implement effective communication strategies such as patient-centered communication. Healthcare organizations can also implement various technologies to encourage effective interprofessional collaboration, such as electronic health record systems (EHRS), which can store, access, and share health information across departments. Evidence shows that effective communication patterns between nurses and physicians increase members’ familiarity and collaboration (Etherington et al., 2021). Practicing transformational leadership has been proposed as a good way of enhancing interprofessional collaboration. Transformational leaders help develop a conducive workplace that encourages nurses to be satisfied with their job and productive. Transformational leadership involves envisioning the desired healthcare outcome by analyzing current realities and identifying opportunities to improve care through cultural change (Rawlinson et al., 2021). Transformational leaders know that it is only through collaboration that a healthy community can be achieved.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the study identified key enablers and barriers to effective interprofessional collaboration in healthcare using a systemic and theoretically informed approach. Although the study achieved its objectives, not all healthcare specialties were represented, and most surgeons interviewed were mainly those practicing general surgery. The study suggests that future studies should focus on determining whether or not there is any difference if specific specialties are used (Etherington et al., 2021). The main strength of the article is the wide interprofessional sample interview, the theory-informed and comprehensive interview guide used, and conceptual transferability and generalizability. The article is a good one for anyone who seeks to understand the barriers and facilitators of interprofessional collaboration in health care.
References
Etherington, C., Burns, J. K., Kitto, S., Brehaut, J. C., Britton, M., Singh, S., & Boet, S. (2021). Barriers and Enablers to Effective Interprofessional Teamwork in the Operating Room: A qualitative study using the Theoretical Domains Framework. PloS One, 16(4), e0249576. Web.
Folkman, A. K., Tveit, B., & Sverdrup, S. (2019). Leadership in Interprofessional Collaboration in Health Care. Journal of Multidisciplinary Healthcare, 12, 97–107. Web.
Rawlinson, C., Carron, T., Cohidon, C., Arditi, C., Hong, Q. N., Pluye, P., Peytremann-Bridevaux, I., & Gilles, I. (2021). An overview of reviews on interprofessional collaboration in primary care: barriers and facilitators. International journal of integrated care, 21(2), 32. Web.