Nurse-physician collaboration in surgical units: A questionnaire study

Abstract

Abstract Purpose This study aimed to evaluate the attitudes of surgical unit nurses and assistant surgeons toward nurse-physician collaboration. Methods The sample population included 195 nurses and assistant surgeons in three university hospitals in western Turkey. Data was collected using a Personal Information Form and the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration. Frequency, percentage, mean, standard deviation, Mann-Whitney U, and Chi-Square tests were used for analysis. Results Nurses were more inclined to collaborate than physicians. Physicians agreed that nurses should be seen as collaborators rather than assistants; however, this positive attitude conflicted with common self-perception that they are still the dominant authority in patient care. Despite physician's contradictory attitudes toward nurse-physician collaboration, both nurses and physicians support educational activities for the purpose of increasing teamwork between nurses and physicians. Conclusion Physician-nurse collaboration was found to be suboptimal and in need of improvement.