TY - JOUR
T1 - Coordination and Communication in Healthcare Action Teams
T2 - The Role of Expertise
AU - Burtscher, Michael J.
AU - Nussbeck, Fridtjof W.
AU - Sevdalis, Nick
AU - Gisin, Stefan
AU - Manser, Tanja
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - Communication and coordination represent central processes in healthcare action teams. However, we have a limited understanding of how expertise affects these processes and to what extent these effects are shaped by interprofessional differences. The current study addresses these questions by jointly investigating the influence of different aspects of expertise individual expertise, team familiarity, and expertise asymmetry on coordination quality and communication openness. We tested our propositions in two hospitals: one in Switzerland (CH, Sample 1) and one in the United Kingdom (UK, Sample 2). Both samples included two-person anesthesia action teams consisting of a physician and a nurse (NCH= 47 teams, NUK = 48 teams). We used a correlational design with two measurement points (i.e., pre- and postoperation). To consider potential interprofessional differences, we analyzed our data with actor-partner interdependence models. Moreover, we explored differences in the effects of expertise between both hospitals. Our findings suggest that nurses expertise is the most important predictor of coordination quality and communication openness. Overall, differences between the two hospitals were more prevalent than interprofessional differences between physicians and nurses. The current study provides a nuanced picture of the effects of expertise, and thereby extends our understanding of interprofessional teamwork.
AB - Communication and coordination represent central processes in healthcare action teams. However, we have a limited understanding of how expertise affects these processes and to what extent these effects are shaped by interprofessional differences. The current study addresses these questions by jointly investigating the influence of different aspects of expertise individual expertise, team familiarity, and expertise asymmetry on coordination quality and communication openness. We tested our propositions in two hospitals: one in Switzerland (CH, Sample 1) and one in the United Kingdom (UK, Sample 2). Both samples included two-person anesthesia action teams consisting of a physician and a nurse (NCH= 47 teams, NUK = 48 teams). We used a correlational design with two measurement points (i.e., pre- and postoperation). To consider potential interprofessional differences, we analyzed our data with actor-partner interdependence models. Moreover, we explored differences in the effects of expertise between both hospitals. Our findings suggest that nurses expertise is the most important predictor of coordination quality and communication openness. Overall, differences between the two hospitals were more prevalent than interprofessional differences between physicians and nurses. The current study provides a nuanced picture of the effects of expertise, and thereby extends our understanding of interprofessional teamwork.
KW - Action team
KW - communication
KW - coordination
KW - expertise
KW - interprofessional
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85098661180&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1024/1421-0185/a000239
DO - 10.1024/1421-0185/a000239
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85098661180
SN - 1421-0185
VL - 79
SP - 123
EP - 135
JO - SWISS JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY
JF - SWISS JOURNAL OF PSYCHOLOGY
IS - 3-4
ER -