An examination of the relationship between team approach and professional autonomy among certified care workers in long-term care facilities

Abstract

[Objective] This study aimed to clarify the relationship between team approach and professional autonomy among certified care workers working in long-term care facilities. [Method] A self-administered questionnaire survey was conducted with 2,000 certified care workers at health care facilities for older people. [Result] A total of 318 responses were analyzed using multiple regression analysis, showing that the following factors positively influence the professional autonomy of the certified care workers: “contribution to the team” (β=0.345, p=0.000) and “importance of team activities” (β=0.360, p=0.000) in the team approach, and “the length of years working as a care worker” (β=0.181, p=0.000) in terms of demographic characteristics. [Conclusion] The results suggest that the aforementioned factors can affect professional autonomy. Future efforts should strengthen education and training in team approach work to further improve the professional autonomy of certified care workers.