The role of professional and team commitments in nurse-physician collaboration

Aim: To analyse the effect of both professional and care unit commitments on attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration between nurses and physicians. Background: The effects of both professional and care unit commitment on inter-professional collaboration have not been taken into account together, and previous research has analysed only one profession at a time, neglecting the nurse-physician comparison. Method: A cross-sectional survey of 138 physicians and 359 nurses was used. Results: For physicians, professional commitment decreased attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration whereas care unit commitment had a positive influence. Conversely, for nurses, the professional commitment had a significant positive effect on attitudes towards interprofessional collaboration whereas care unit commitment had no significant effect. Conclusion: Intergroup relations affect the extent to which nurses and physicians are inclined to engage in interprofessional collaboration. Professional and care unit commitments had different effects on attitude toward the inter-professional collaboration of nurses and physicians. Implication for Nursing Management: Inter-professional collaboration is affected by the relationship between physicians and nurse at the professional group level. Managers who want to change and improve inter-professional collaboration should pay close attention to the interplay between changes they are introducing and well-established identities and practices between professionals.