Understanding Collaboration Between Social Workers and Physicians

Abstract

This article builds on prior analyses of data collected from a qualitative study of 50 pairs of social worker-physician collaborators in. This article presents the elements of a typology of collaborators from both professions developed from those analyses. The typology was also applied to the entire sample and each respondent characterized according to type (traditional, transitional or transformational). Further analysis was done to evaluate the relationships between type and collaborative perspectives. The sample was primarily transitional (56%-58%) and there were more traditional social workers (22%) and transformational doctors (24%) than anticipated. Social workers, as a group, were much less satisfied with the doctors than the doctors were with them although both groups of traditional respondents were the most dissatisfied. Both groups were least transformational in relation to control over decision making.

Key Words:

• Interdisciplinary collaboration
• healthcare professions
• social workers
• physicians
• teamwork
• professional socialization