Nurse Managers and Interprofessional Collaboration: A Grounded Theory Stud

Effective nurse-physician collaboration is an essential component of providing safe patient care. Nurse managers are in a unique position to witness, experience, and lead collaborative practice. The purpose of this study is to gain a better understanding of the social process of nurse-physician collaboration through the lens of nurse managers, as well as how the system supports or impedes collaboration. Seven nurse managers from surgical inpatient units from three major hospitals in western Canada were interviewed following the constructivist grounded theory methodology. Findings revealed five categories in the process of nurse-physician collaboration: (1) communicating expectations and accountability, (2) creating intentional interactions, (3) building trust and earning respect, (4) building relationships, and (5) enculturating collaboration. Nurse-physician collaboration is a multi-faceted, on-going process with the relationship at the centre. Gaining an understanding of the process of nurse-physician collaboration will facilitate improvements to collaborative practice and the delivery of safe health care.