Measurement of attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration in an operating theatre - a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Measurement of attitudes toward interprofessional collaboration in an operating theatre - a cross-sectional study Abstract.Background: Interprofessional cooperation (IC) between healthcare professionals is essential for good treatment outcomes. Surgical departments place special demands on interprofessional cooperation (situational team formation, alterning work environment, coordinative overcrowding of work) within a health organisation. In order to achieve common goals in a team, it is important that those involved have a comparable understanding of and attitude towards interprofessional cooperation, regardless of their profession. Research Question: What is the internal consistency of the German version of the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes Toward Interprofessional Collaboration (JeffSATIC) when applied to personnel in an operating theatre? What is the attitude towards interprofessional cooperation between the various occupational groups in a surgical department of an acute care hospital functioning as a centre and a training establishment? Are there differences between the individual occupational groups and the sexes? Method: The validated JeffSATIC questionnaire was translated back into German and sent to 283 people in a surgical department with eleven operating theatres. The internal consistency of the questionnaire and differences in attitude towards interprofessional cooperation were examined. Findings: The German version of the JeffSATIC questionnaire is a reliable instrument for measuring the attitude of individuals towards interprofessional cooperation. It was used for the first time in the context of a surgical department. In the institution examined, there are no statistically significant differences between the different occupational groups and sexes in relation to the attitude to IC in the dimensions 'work relationship' and 'responsibility' determined by the questionnaire. The medical service anaesthesia shows the greatest divergence in attitude towards interprofessional cooperation within a professional group. Conclusions: In the institution examined, the prerequisites for successful interprofessional cooperation exist. In general, it should be further examined which factors influence the divergence in attitude per occupational group and whether these divergences in attitude are also associated with the quality of the actual cooperation.