Understanding healthcare professionals’ self-efficacy to resolve interprofessional conflict

ABSTRACT

Conflict within interprofessional healthcare teams, when not effectively resolved, has been linked to detrimental consequences; however, effective conflict resolution has been shown to enhance team performance, increase patient safety, and improve patient outcomes. Alarmingly, knowledge of healthcare professionals’ ability to resolve conflict has been limited, largely due to the challenges that arise when researchers attempt to observe a conflict occurring in real time. Research literature has identified three central components that seem to influence healthcare professional’s perceived ability to resolve conflict: communication competence, problem-solving ability, and conflict resolution education and training. The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of communication competence, problem-solving ability, and conflict resolution education and training on healthcare professionals’ perceived ability to resolve conflicts. This study employed a cross-sectional survey design. Multiple regression analyses demonstrated that two of the three central components—conflict resolution education and training and communication competence—were found to be statistically significant predictors of healthcare professionals’ perceived ability to resolve conflict. Implications include a call to action for clinicians and academicians to recognize the importance of communication competence and conflict resolution education and training as a vital area in interprofessional pre- and post-licensure education and collaborative practice.

KEYWORDS:

• Communication
• conflict resolution
• interprofessional collaboration
• interprofessional education
• quantitative method
• surveys
• teamwork

Declaration of interest

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