Interprofessional trust in emergency department - as experienced by nurses in charge and doctors on call

The aim of this study was to describe that which characterises interprofessional trust in a Norwegian emergency department, as expressed by nurses in charge and doctors on call.

Interprofessional trust requires knowledge of and skills in interprofessional collaboration. It also requires established trust in fellow collaborators, as well as in the work environment and in the more comprehensive system in which the work is conducted. Nurses in charge and doctors on call who collaborate in the context of an emergency department do so under changing conditions in terms of staff composition and work load.

The study was designed in a qualitative, inductive and sequential manner.

Data were collected from September-November 2013 through four focus group interviews and was analysed by means of qualitative content analysis.

The data revealed two themes that were characteristic of interprofessional trust: 'having relational knowledge' and 'being part of a context'. Together, the themes can be understood as equally important to contextual collaboration. A model of interprofessional trust between an individual level and system level was developed from the results.

The study indicates that interprofessional trust is a changeable phenomenon that has great impact on the possibility for development at an individual level and at a more abstract system level.

Interprofessional trust can be improved by focusing on trust-building activities between staff at the individual level and between staff and organisation at the system level. Supportive activities such as continuous interprofessional education are suggested as valuable to the development and maintenance of trust.