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Interprofessional Barriers: A Study of Quality Improvement Work Among Nurses and Physicians
Nomie Eriksson1, Tomas Müllern
1School of Business, University of Skövde, Skövde, Sweden (Dr Eriksson); and Jönköping International Business School, Jönköping, Sweden (Dr Müllern).
Quality Management in Health Care
|April 5, 2017
Summary
This study explored interprofessional barriers between nurses and physicians during quality improvement initiatives. Key challenges identified involved professional status differences and role clarity, impacting collaborative healthcare efforts.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Nursing and Medical Studies
- Interprofessional Collaboration
Background:
- Effective quality improvement (QI) in healthcare relies on seamless interprofessional collaboration.
- Barriers between nurses and physicians can impede the implementation of QI initiatives.
- Understanding these specific barriers is crucial for enhancing patient care and hospital efficiency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the interprofessional barriers encountered by nurses and physicians in QI work.
- To identify the specific nature of these barriers within Swedish hospital settings.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study design.
- Semi-structured interviews conducted with 17 nurses and 10 physicians across two hospitals in Sweden.
Main Results:
- Identified significant barriers related to the perceived relative status between nursing and physician groups.
- Uncovered challenges stemming from differing or unclear definitions of professional responsibilities.
- These factors collectively hindered effective teamwork in quality improvement efforts.
Conclusions:
- Relative status and role definition are critical interprofessional barriers in healthcare quality improvement.
- Addressing these hierarchical and role-based issues is essential for fostering better nurse-physician collaboration.
- Targeted interventions are needed to overcome these barriers and improve healthcare delivery.