Social Interaction and Collaboration among Oncology Nurses.

Jane Moore,Dawn Prentice,Maurene Mcquestion

doi:10.1155/2015/248067

Abstract

Collaboration is a complex process influenced by organizational, professional, interpersonal, and personal factors. Research has demonstrated that collaboration may also be influenced by social factors. Nurses spend much of their time working in collaborative teams, yet little is known about how they socially interact in practice. This qualitative case study explored nurse perceptions of social interaction in relation to collaboration. Data were collected using telephone interviews and documentary reviews from fourteen oncology nurses employed at one cancer center in Canada. Thematic analysis revealed two themes: knowing you is trusting you and formal and informal opportunities. Nurses reported that social interaction meant getting to know someone personally as well as professionally. Social interaction was enacted inside of work during breaks/meals and outside of work at planned events. Social interaction was facilitated by having a long-term current and/or previous professional and personal relationship. The barriers to social interaction included a lack of time to get to know each other, workload issues, and poor interpersonal skills. Findings suggest that social interaction is an important factor in the collaborative relationship among oncology nurses. Nurse leaders need to promote social interaction opportunities and facilitate educational sessions to improve social and interpersonal skills.

Highlights

Collaboration has been described in the context of healthcare as a complex process by which interdependent professionals work together to provide patient care [1]
Research has shown that individuals require some form of social interaction in order to successfully engage in collaborative practice [7]
San Martın-Rodrıguez et al [8] suggested that the interactional determinants willingness to collaborate, effective communication skills, and the existence of mutual respect and trust contributed to successful interprofessional collaboration

Summary

Introduction

Collaboration has been described in the context of healthcare as a complex process by which interdependent professionals work together to provide patient care [1]. Several factors can influence collaboration including those at the individual and organizational level. Individual factors include a willingness to collaborate, the desire to achieve a common goal, possessing effective communication skills, and having mutual trust and respect for each other’s professional contributions [4]. In addition to individual and organizational factors, social interaction has been found to influence collaboration among healthcare providers. San Martın-Rodrıguez et al [8] suggested that the interactional determinants willingness to collaborate, effective communication skills, and the existence of mutual respect and trust contributed to successful interprofessional collaboration. Several authors found that daily social exchanges contributed to the development of mutual trust and collaboration among colleagues in the education field [10, 11]

Methods

Results

Discussion

Conclusion