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

Abstract

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.