An exploratory study of collaborative perception : physician-nurse collaboration and stress in an acute care hospital

Abstract

The purpose of the study is to investigate the relationship between the stress experienced by registered nurses and physicians working on clinical units and their perceptions of the interprofessional collaborative culture at their hospital. It aims to explore attitudes towards physician-nurse collaboration at AUBMC, assess perceived stress levels experienced by healthcare professionals working in critical care units as well as on open floors and ambulatory units, and investigate potential relationships between interprofessional collaboration and stress.This exploratory, descriptive study assessed responses of RNs and Physicians across intensive care areas, open floor, and outpatient clinics at AUBMC (N=138). The study was conducted using the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration (JSAPNC) and the Expanded Nursing Stress Scale (ENSS). On average, nurses tended to score significantly higher on the JSAPNC scale than did physicians (RN mean total score = 3.69 vs. MD mean total score 2.97) (p0.001), indicating more positive attitudes towards collaboration. As for the ENSS, nurses also tended to be more stressed than physicians (RN mean total score = 3.04 vs. MD mean total score = 2.77) (p=0.002). Older (p=0.058), more experienced (p=0.044), female (p=0.015) RNs had a more positive perception of collaboration among RNs, while among MDs female MDs were most stressed (p=0.031). JSAPNC collaboration scores and ENSS stress scores were positively, significantly correlated (r=0.37, p0.001). Both groups of healthcare professionals in intensive and critical care areas as well as in ambulatory areas had a significant, moderate positive correlation between perceived collaboration and stress scores (r=0.45, p0.001, and r=0.48, p=0.020 respectively), while those in open floors did not reveal any significant correlation between the two phenomena.The findings of this exploratory study may serve as a basis for further study investigating collaborative perception and stress in a complex healthcare settin