The Long Way Toward Cooperation: Nurses and Family Physicians in Northern Germany

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Studies
• Medical Sociology

Background:

• Interprofessional cooperation among healthcare professionals is frequently problematic.
• Understanding the root causes of these issues is crucial for improving patient care and system efficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the reasons behind problematic cooperation between physicians and nurses.
• To analyze how interprofessional conflicts are interpreted differently by doctors and nurses.

Main Methods:

• Conducted 25 semistructured, face-to-face expert interviews with physicians and nurses.
• Utilized Mayring's qualitative content analysis to analyze interview data.
• Included participants from diverse rural and urban settings in northern Germany.

Main Results:

• Physicians and nurses exhibit differing interpretations of interprofessional conflicts.
• Nursing faces a paradox: increased emphasis on cooperation clashes with market-driven rationalization of practice.
• Systematic devaluation of nursing work impedes physician recognition of nurses' expertise.

Conclusions:

• Nursing must assert its professional identity and logic of action to enhance its standing.
• True interprofessional cooperation is contingent upon the universal valuation of nursing work within the healthcare system.