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Teamwork in primary palliative care: general practitioners' and specialised oncology nurses' complementary
May-Lill Johansen1, Bente Ervik2,3
1Department of Community Medicine, UiT The Arctic University of Norway, N-9037, Tromsø, Norway. May-Lill.Johansen@uit.no.
BMC Health Services Research
|March 9, 2018
Summary
General practitioners (GPs) and oncology nurses (ONs) have complementary skills in primary palliative care. However, organizational issues and differing learning styles hinder their collaboration, impacting patient care quality.
Area of Science:
- Palliative Care
- Healthcare Collaboration
- Primary Care
Background:
- General practitioners (GPs) and district nurses are key in Norwegian community palliative care.
- Specialized oncology nurses (ONs) with palliative training are increasingly involved.
- Limited research exists on the collaboration between GPs and ONs in primary palliative care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the experiences of general practitioners (GPs) and oncology nurses (ONs) regarding their collaboration in primary palliative care.
- To identify facilitators and barriers to effective teamwork between GPs and ONs.
Main Methods:
- Qualitative study using focus groups and individual interviews with 52 health professionals in rural Northern Norway.
- Included uni-professional and interprofessional discussions.
- Thematic analysis of transcribed data.
Main Results:
- GPs and ONs ideally function as "meeting of experts" with complementary skills.
- GPs offer generalist knowledge and patient relationships; ONs provide specialized insights and treatment suggestions.
- Barriers include organizational issues (time, funding, remuneration) and differing learning strategies, not professional hierarchies.
Conclusions:
- The complementary roles of specialized nurses and GPs are well-suited for primary palliative care.
- Effective teamwork requires addressing organizational barriers and diverse learning cultures.
- Consideration of these factors is crucial for planning high-quality primary palliative care teams.
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