Attitudes of nurses and physicians toward nurse–physician interprofessional collaboration in different hospitals of Islamabad–Rawalpindi Region of Pakistan

ABSTRACT

Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) is crucial to efficient patient management in the modern healthcare setting. We sought to determine the attitudes of physicians and nurses working in different hospitals in the Islamabad–Rawalpindi region of Pakistan. We employed the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician–Nurse Collaboration (JSAPNC), a 15-item questionnaire that quantifies these attitudes in a meaningful way. Higher scores indicate a more positive attitude toward IPC. Four domains (shared education and teamwork, caring vs. curing, nurses’ autonomy, and physicians’ dominance) represent the intricate factors that influence IPC in a hospital setting. A total of 374 healthcare professionals responded. Nurses had significantly better opinions about IPC compared to physicians (mean: 50.81 vs. 47.48, p<.01). Nurses also outscored physicians in all four domains of the JSAPNC (education and collaboration 24.87 vs. 23.72 p<.001, caring vs. curing 10.88 vs. 9.42 p<.001, nurse’s autonomy 10.89 vs. 10.51 p=.004, and physician’s authority 4.17 vs. 3.82 p=.044). The results show that nurses in Pakistan value IPC more than their physician colleagues. Inculcating the importance of IPC through educational methods might help improve these attitudes.

KEYWORDS:

• Nurse
• physician
• interprofessional collaboration
• attitudes
• JSAPNC
• teamwork

Acknowledgments

The authors would like to thank Dr Umme Kulsoom, Department of Community Health, Shifa College of Medicine for her patient teaching and tremendous help during the course of the study and Dr Mohammadreza Hojat for his guidance with regard to the usage of the JSAPNC scale.

Declaration of interest

The authors report no conflicts of interest. The authors alone are responsible for the content and writing of this article.

Additional information

Funding

The study was carried out without any grant from any source and all expenses during the course of the study were paid for by the authors.

Notes on contributors

Abdullah Kaifi

Abdullah Kaifi, final year of MBBS at Shifa College of Medicine, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Muhammad Abdullah Tahir

Muhammad Abdullah Tahir, final year of MBBS at Shifa College of Medicine, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Almeera Ibad

Almeera Ibad, final year of MBBS at Shifa College of Medicine, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Jannat Shahid

Jannat Shahid, final year of MBBS at Shifa College of Medicine, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan.

Mujahid Anwar

Mujahid Anwar, final year of MBBS at Shifa College of Medicine, Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University, Islamabad, Pakistan.