Personal Factors Related to the Attitude toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration in Children’s Hospitals

Abstract

Aim: The purpose of this study was to investigate physicians’ and nurses’ attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration in children’s hospitals and to identify personal factors related to such attitudes.

Methods: A survey was conducted in two children’s hospitals. A quantitative descriptive study was conducted to compare the attitudes between physicians and nurses using the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration (JSAPNC). We adopted several attributes as personal factors related to the attitude toward collaboration: clinical experience, perceived risks and benefits regarding the collaboration, the Measure of Process Care for Service Provide (MPOC-SP), and so on.

Results: A total of 233 questionnaires were gathered and 202 questionnaires from 70 physicians and 132 nurses were used for the analyses. Multiple regression analyses revealed that the risk perception regarding the collaboration and the MPOC-SP score were related to the JSAPNC score for both physicians and nurses. Additionally, in the nurse group, the years of clinical experience were also related to the JSAPNC score.

Conclusion: To develop positive attitudes toward physician-nurse collaboration, it may be important to increase awareness of its effects on avoiding patient risks, and to be practiced family-centered care. Nurses need education and training to develop confidence as pediatric nurse professionals from the beginning of employment.