Australian practice nursing: collaboration in context.

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Management
• Interprofessional Collaboration

Background:

• Positive patient outcomes rely on Australian practice nurses in collaborative services, especially for chronic diseases.
• The extent of practice nurse collaboration in decision-making and organizational influences remains unclear.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore if Australian practice nursing contexts support collaborative decision-making in patient care organization and delivery.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive exploratory study utilizing semi-structured interviews with 15 practice nurses.
• Thematic analysis of interview data was performed using NVivo for contextual insights into decision-making participation.

Main Results:

• Trusting interprofessional relationships enabled nurses to influence medical decisions and advocate for patients.
• These relationships altered perceived roles, enhancing opportunities for collaborative decision-making.

Conclusions:

• Collaborative interprofessional care is essential for Australian general practice to meet increasing care demands.
• Government policy, financial regulations, and practice organization need enhancement to better support practice nurse collaboration.