Interprofessional collaboration in connection with a medical ship: nurses' experiences

Area of Science:

• Global Health
• Nursing Research
• Interprofessional Education

Background:

• Papua New Guinea faces significant poverty and disease, with limited access to urban healthcare due to terrain and infrastructure.
• Medical ships provide essential primary healthcare to remote populations inaccessible by land.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore nurses' experiences with interprofessional collaboration (IPC) on a primary healthcare medical ship in Papua New Guinea.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study using an inductive, descriptive approach with content analysis.
• Interviews were conducted with eleven nurses from seven countries onboard the medical ship.

Main Results:

• Nurses perceived IPC as well-functioning, driven by motivation for a common goal.
• Key factors for successful IPC included a shared objective, positive mindset, and effective communication.
• Collaboration facilitated overcoming challenges related to new environments, limited space, and newly formed teams.

Conclusions:

• Effective interprofessional collaboration hinges on consistent information sharing, communication, and engagement.
• IPC is recommended for similar remote healthcare settings, disaster response, and home care scenarios requiring adaptability.