A culture of caring: the essence of healthcare interprofessional collaboration. Issue 3 (3rd May 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Wei, Holly; Corbett, Robin Webb; Ray, Joel; Wei, Trent L.
• Is Part Of: Journal of interprofessional care. Volume 34:Issue 3(2020)
• Page Start: 324
• Page End: 331
• Publication Date: 2020-05-03
• Subjects: Caring -- constructive feedback -- culture of caring -- interprofessional collaborative practice -- strengths-based practice -- shared leadership; Holistic medicine -- Periodicals; Interprofessional relations -- Periodicals; Health care teams -- Periodicals; 361
• DOI: 10.1080/13561820.2019.1641476
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1356-1820

Abstract

ABSTRACT: Collaboration among healthcare professionals is essential in creating a synergy to provide efficient, safe, and high-quality patient care. Interprofessional collaborative practice (IPCP) has become a core measure in promoting healthcare practice. An understanding of the underlying mechanism for healthcare professionals to collaborate can provide strategies to foster IPCP. The purpose of the study was to investigate healthcare professionals' perspectives on ways to promote IPCP. This was a qualitative descriptive study. Thirty-six healthcare professionals from a university-affiliated hospital participated in the study. Data were collected via face-to-face in-depth interviews and analyzed using a thematic networks framework. The findings indicated that the underlying facilitator of IPCP was a culture of caring – human connections among interprofessional team members. The culture of caring could be fostered through five processes: building caring relationships, developing an ownership mentality, providing constructive feedback, applying the strengths-based practice, and acting as the first and last lines of defense. An Interprofessional Caring Model (ICM) was proposed in this study. Creating a caring culture is a dynamic process requiring all team members' efforts. The ICM can have significant clinical implications. It can be used as a framework to design and implement specific strategies to improve interprofessional collaboration.