Ethical discussion groups as an intervention to improve the climate in interprofessional work with the elderly and disabled

Abstract

Due to social policy reforms in Sweden, professionals with a social and a medical education work together. Reported conflicts within municipal elderly and disabled care, related to professional training, sometimes result in a deteriorated work climate. As an attempt to improve the work climate in interprofessional groups, an intervention study was set up in four 'experimental dwellings' where staff participated in systematic ethical group discussions. Four similar dwellings were used as reference. Work climate was studied before and after the intervention using a questionnaire measuring sense of coherence, job satisfaction, and burnout among the staff. High scores at baseline with no significant differences after the intervention. That staff had high coping capacity, were satisfied and did not experience burnout. The small observed changes after intervention indicate that the intervention did not lead to the expected improvement of work climate, but might also result from the chosen scales inability to measure complex social processes. The importance of interprofessional discussions about everyday skills and values is stressed.