When social workers and physicians collaborate: positive and negative interdisciplinary experiences

Interdisciplinary collaboration is becoming increasingly important as the current complexity and cost of health care require an efficient and well-coordinated service delivery system. To understand the factors contributing to positive and negative collaboration, 53 social workers and 50 physicians in 12 hospital settings were interviewed about their best and worst experiences collaborating on a case. Thirty precoded items were classified into three constructs that reflect aspects of collaboration related to the case, to interaction between collaborators, and to the competence of the collaborator. Differences between the two professions were greatest on the interactional factors, with social workers valuing them much more than physicians did. Communication appeared to be the only intrinsic or universal aspect of collaboration equally important to both groups in both types of cases. Implications for social work practice and leadership are discussed.