Interprofessional collaboration among nurses and physicians: making a difference in patient outcome

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing and Medical Practice
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Poor communication and collaboration among healthcare professionals negatively affect patient care and outcomes.
• There is a growing interest from policymakers, managers, and clinicians in enhancing interprofessional relationships.
• Effective interventions are needed to improve interprofessional collaboration for new care delivery models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review the evidence on interprofessional collaboration between doctors and nurses.
• To examine new models of care and their impact on patient outcomes.
• To identify effective interventions for fostering interprofessional collaboration.

Main Methods:

• Conducted literature searches in PubMed, CINAHL, and Cochrane Library.
• Selected fourteen randomized controlled trials (RCTs) for review.
• Included studies focused on collaborative care management models, primarily in elderly populations, with interventions like evidence-based treatment plans, care coordination, and self-management support.

Main Results:

• All but one of the fourteen RCTs reported at least one statistically significant improvement in patient outcomes.
• Interventions based on interprofessional collaboration demonstrated positive effects on mortality, clinical, functional, and social outcomes.
• Patient-reported outcomes and utilization of medical services were also measured, with some studies showing improvements.

Conclusions:

• The evidence base for interprofessional collaboration shows promising results for improving patient outcomes.
• More rigorous research is needed to expand the understanding of interprofessional collaboration.
• Current evidence supports the implementation of collaborative care models involving doctors and nurses.