7.4.3 Nurses in interprofessional teams: non medical health and social care professionals' views of interprofessional teams (258)

Margaret Miers, Professor of Nursing and Social Science, Faculty of Health and Social Care, University of the West of England,Bristol, United Kingdom Co authors: Katherine Pollard & Caroline Rickaby Margaret.Miers@uwe.ac.uk

Abstract:

Improvements in interprofessional working are key to improving services for users. Nurses’ roles in teams have mainly been explored in terms of nurses’ relationships with doctors, with an emphasis on boundary negotiation, role substitution or expansion. A study of non medical professionals’ views concerning interprofessional working is being conducted in two phases.

The study’s aim is to explore non medical health and social care professionals’ views of interprofessional working in their own work settings. In 2006, 13 adult nurses, 4 midwives, 5 physiotherapists and 7 social workers were recruited to phase 1. Phase 2, Autumn 2007, will recruit mental health nurses, children’s nurses and occupational therapists. Recruitment is from participants in a longitudinal evaluation of interprofessional learning who remain employed as professionals and have agreed to further follow-up. Data collection is through semi-structured face-to-face or telephone interview. COREC approval and NHS project registration from 10 NHS sites allows a choice of workplace interviews, or elsewhere. Interviews focus on educational preparation for, and experience of, interprofessional collaboration. Data are analysed thematically using NVivo. Phase 1 results related to nurses’ and other professionals’ perceptions of collaboration and perceptions of nurses’ activity in multidisciplinary teams suggest adult nurses perceive themselves as co-ordinators in interprofessional teams and have positive attitudes to boundary crossing. Practitioners with experience of interprofessional learning have a complex understanding of collaborative practice skills. Perceptions of difficulties in interprofessional collaboration include differing work patterns and availability; hierarchical patterns of working and communication failures.

Discussion focuses on nurses’ perceptions of their role in a changing workforce, approaches to addressing ongoing difficulties in collaboration and the implications of discrepancies between nurses’ and other professionals’ perceptions of nurses’ teamwork.

The conclusion emphasises the opportunities and challenges for nursing in a workforce valuing collaborative skills. Nurses’ advantages include team co-ordination and flexibility.

Recommended reading list:

  • Allen, D. (2001) The Changing Shape of Nursing Practice: The role of nurses in the hospital division of labour. London, Routledge
  • Horrocks, S., Anderson, E. & Salisbury, C. (2002) Systematic review of whether nurse practitioners working in primary care can provide equivalent care to doctors. British Medical Journal 324 819-823

Source of Funding: UK - Higher Education Funding Council

Amount in Funding: 1,000 – 10,000

Biography:

Margaret Miers is Professor of Nursing and Social Science, Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, University of the West of England, Bristol. She leads a research programme concerning interprofessional learning and working. Margaret is also a series editor of Palgrave's Sociology and Nursing Practice Series and the author of a text on Gender Issues and Nursing Practice and an editor of two further texts in the series. Margaret is a co-convenor of the ESRC research seminar series 'Evolving theory in interprofessional learning'.