Abstract
Background: Nursing home teams provide care to patients with a life-limiting illness with physical, psychological, social, and spiritual needs. An interdisciplinary team approach ensures attention for all dimensions to ameliorate patient outcomes, team effectiveness, and team satisfaction.
Aim: To explore interdisciplinary collaboration in nursing home teams.
Methods: A generic qualitative design in a somatic and psychogeriatric ward of a nursing home. Data was collected through participant observations schemes consisting of descriptive, focused, and selective observations of collaborative moments and subsequent validation of the observations in conversation with professionals. The Bronstein model of Interdisciplinary Collaboration was used as a theoretical framework. Data was analyzed thematically.
Results: Collaborative moments (N=54) were: multidisciplinary consultations, handovers, patient visits, and ad hoc consultations. Observations included 24 unique caregivers of 8 professions. Validating conversations were held with 11 care providers from 9 professions. Four themes emerged: interdisciplinary communication, accessibility of caregivers, distribution of responsibilities, and interests of caregivers and patients. There was no team identity, caregivers mainly focused on their discipline and there were no multidisciplinary consultations with all caregivers. Decisions were made by physicians and psychologists and communicated with a RN/nurse assistant. No shared decision-making was observed.
Conclusion: Collaboration in nursing home teams has a multidisciplinary character. To improve collaboration we recommend: structural involvement of paramedics, planned discussions of common interests, and scheduled consultations for the entire team. Practical guidelines are needed to shift from multidisciplinary towards interdisciplinary collaboration and ameliorate the quality of patient care.
Funding: Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development
Aim: To explore interdisciplinary collaboration in nursing home teams.
Methods: A generic qualitative design in a somatic and psychogeriatric ward of a nursing home. Data was collected through participant observations schemes consisting of descriptive, focused, and selective observations of collaborative moments and subsequent validation of the observations in conversation with professionals. The Bronstein model of Interdisciplinary Collaboration was used as a theoretical framework. Data was analyzed thematically.
Results: Collaborative moments (N=54) were: multidisciplinary consultations, handovers, patient visits, and ad hoc consultations. Observations included 24 unique caregivers of 8 professions. Validating conversations were held with 11 care providers from 9 professions. Four themes emerged: interdisciplinary communication, accessibility of caregivers, distribution of responsibilities, and interests of caregivers and patients. There was no team identity, caregivers mainly focused on their discipline and there were no multidisciplinary consultations with all caregivers. Decisions were made by physicians and psychologists and communicated with a RN/nurse assistant. No shared decision-making was observed.
Conclusion: Collaboration in nursing home teams has a multidisciplinary character. To improve collaboration we recommend: structural involvement of paramedics, planned discussions of common interests, and scheduled consultations for the entire team. Practical guidelines are needed to shift from multidisciplinary towards interdisciplinary collaboration and ameliorate the quality of patient care.
Funding: Netherlands Organization for Health Research and Development
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | Published - 20 Sept 2021 |
| Event | World Congress of the EAPC 2021 - Duration: 6 Oct 2021 → 8 Oct 2021 |
Conference
| Conference | World Congress of the EAPC 2021 |
|---|---|
| Period | 6/10/21 → 8/10/21 |