Nurse-physician collaboration in an acute care community hospital

Abstract

Despite the evidence from the literature of the benefits of collaboration, a collaborative practice model in the acute-care setting remains the exception rather than the dominant practice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate attitudes toward collaboration among nurses and physicians practicing in an acute care community hospital. The sample included 118 nurses and 53 physicians. Background variables of gender, age, education, experience, practice setting, cultural background, and time to interact were examined to determine if they influenced attitudes towards collaboration. The results indicated that both physicians and nurses expressed positive attitudes towards collaboration but that there was a significant difference on two of the underlying factors: shared education and physician authority. The study may serve as a baseline for future research, specifically focused on interventions to enhance collaboration.