Perceptions of Iranian emergency department directors of interprofessional leadership: an interview study

ABSTRACT

The aim of this study was to explore the viewpoints of Iranian health-care team directors regarding factors that are influential in leading an interprofessional team in the emergency department. The study was conducted using in-depth individual interviews and inductive content analysis. The study took place in the emergency departments of three teaching hospitals in Tehran. We used purposeful criterion sampling and interviewed 15 health-care team directors including 12 emergency medicine specialists and 3 nursing directors. Each interview lasted 60 to 90 minutes. All interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Participants’ statements were used to freely generate the initial data codes (open coding). Then, the initial codes were arranged into subcategories, which were later grouped together into categories. Finally, by comparing and contrasting categories, three main categories were identified: (a) effectiveness of the team-based leadership, (b) strategies of advancing interprofessional collaboration, and (c) weakness in overcoming team challenges. In the present study, the main factors that affected developing interprofessional collaboration in the Iranian emergency department were the development and support of leadership at the team and organizational levels, and implementation of staff development strategies at the individual and team levels.

KEYWORDS:

• Interprofessional
• collaboration
• team-based care
• team director
• team leadership
• Iran
• emergency department

Disclosure statement

We have no conflict of interest to declare. We have identified any financial interests or relationships related to research conducted.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by Tehran University of Medical Sciences [No: 96-01-61-34092].

Notes on contributors

Fatemeh Keshmiri

Fatemeh Keshmiri, MSc, PhD, is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Medical Education and the Director of Educational Development Center (EDC) at Shahid Sadoughi University of Medical Sciences, Yazd, Iran.

Kamran Moradi

Kamran Moradi, MD, is an Associate Researcher in the Evidence-Based Medicine and Critical Thinking Group at the Evidence-Based Practice Research Center, Tehran University of Medical Sciences.