Enhancers and hindrances to doctor-nurse interdisciplinary collaborative practice in Nigeria

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify factors that enhance and hinder interdisciplinary collaborative practice (ICP) among doctors and nurses at the Nnamdi Azikiwe teaching hospital, Nnewi, southeast Nigeria. The study was a cross-sectional descriptive survey and the quantitative method of data collection was employed. The population was all doctors irrespective of area of specialty and all nurses employed and working in the hospital as at the time of study. Proportionate stratified and convenience sampling methods were used to select study participants according to their categories. Using validated structured questionnaire, data were collected from 110 doctors and 95 nurses in the teaching hospital on their perception on ICP and factors that enhance/hinder ICP. Data were analyzed using both descriptive and inferential statistics. Specifically, frequencies, percentages, standard deviation and graphic presentation were used for descriptive analysis of scores while the unpaired t test of mean score using Graph Pad Prism, Version 5.30 was used to determine the influence of profession, gender, and years of experience on perception of ICP at 0.05 level of significance. The study found that both doctors and nurses have positive perception on ICP. Their years of experience have significant influence on their perception. Clear individual roles and good working relationships enhance ICP while giving priority to professional status rather than expertise was seen as a prominent hindrance to ICP. The study recommends collaborative continuing education for doctors and nurses to enhance ICP in patient care. In addition, the inclusion of interdisciplinary collaborative practice programmme into the curriculum of medical and nursing students (where it does not exist) would go a long way to strengthen ICP and decrease hindrances when they graduate.

Share and Cite:

Okoronkwo, I. , Anieche, J. , Chinweuba, A. and Ndu, A. (2013) Enhancers and hindrances to doctor-nurse interdisciplinary collaborative practice in Nigeria. Open Journal of Nursing, 3, 169-177. doi: 10.4236/ojn.2013.32022.

Conflicts of Interest

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

References

[1] Carter, K. (2004) An integrated approach. Nursing Times, 91, 212-213.
[2] Berman, A., Synder, S., Kozier, B. and Erb, G. (2008) Fundamentals of nursing: Concept process and practice. 8th Edition, Pearson Prentice Hall, New Jersey.
[3] Mackery, M.A., Sexton, J.B., Freisch, J.A., Holzmueller, C.G., Millman, E.A., Rowen, L. and Provost, P.J. (2008) Operating room teamwork among physicians and nurses: Teamwork in the eye of the beholder. Journal of the American College of Surgeons, 202, 746-52.
[4] Suter, E., Arndt, J., Arthur, N., Parboosingh, J., Taylor, E. and Deutschlander, S. (2009) Role understanding and effective communication as core competencies for collaborative practice. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 23, 41-51. doi:10.1080/13561820802338579
[5] Delva, D., Jamieson, M. and Lemieux, M. (2008) Team effectiveness in academic primary health care teams. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 22, 598-611. doi:10.1080/13561820802201819
[6] Kvarnstrom, S. (2008) Difficulties in collaboration: A critical incident study of interprofessional healthcare teamwork. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 22, 91-203. doi:10.1080/13561820701760600
[7] Miller, K.L., Reeves, S., Zwarenstein, M., Beales, J.D., Kenaszchuk, C. and Conn, L.G. (2008) Nursing emotion work and interprofessional collaboration in general internal medicine wards: A qualitative study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 64, 332-343. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04768.x
[8] Ben-Arye, W., Charf, M. and Frenkel, M. (2008) How should complementary practitioners and physicians communicate? A cross-sectional from Isreal. Patient Education Counseling, 70, 395-402.
[9] Mohammadreza, H., Hasca, T.J., Cohen, M.J.M., Fields, S.K., Rattner, S.L., Griffith, M., Ibarra, D., De Gonzalez, A.G., Torres-Ruiz, A., Ibarra, G. and Garrcia, A. (2008) Attitude towards nurse physician collaboration: A cross- cultural study of male and female nurse/physician collaboration in United States & Mexico. http://wwwmedscape.com/view
[10] Philips, R.L., Harper, D.C., Kekefield, M., Green, L.A. and Frayer, G.E. (2004) Can nurse practitioner and physicians beat parochialism into plowshares? Health Affairs, 21, 133-142. doi:10.1377/hlthaff.21.5.133
[11] Malcurem, S. (2007) Interprofessional cooperation. Medical education, 29, 65-69.
[12] Seabrook, M. (2003) Overcoming tribalism. Nursing Standard, 14, 261-217.
[13] Lingard, L., Espin, S., Evans, C. and Hawryluck, L. (2004) The rules of the game: Interprofessional collaboration on the intensive care unit team. Critical Care, 8, R403-R408. doi:10.1186/cc2958
[14] Vizirani, S., Hays, R.D., Shapiro, M.F. and Cowan, M. (2008) Effect of a multidisciplinary intervention on communication and collaboration among physicians and nurses. American Journal of Critical Care, 14, 71-77.
[15] Williams, R.G., Silverman, R., Schwind, C., Fortune, J.B., Sutyak, J. and Horvath, K.D. (2007) Surgeon information transfer and communication: Factors affecting quality and efficiency of inpatient care. Annals of Surgery, 245, 159- 169. doi:10.1097/01.sla.0000242709.28760.56
[16] Uzoagulu, A.E. (1998) Practical guide to writing project reports in tertiary institutions. John Jacobs Classic Publishers, Enugu.

Copyright © 2024 by authors and Scientific Research Publishing Inc.

Creative Commons License

This work and the related PDF file are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.