Exploring the perceptions of nurses and occupational therapists of interprofessional collaboration at an inpatient rehabilitation facility

Abstract

Background. Patients within inpatient rehabilitation facilities rely heavily on care from occupational therapists and nurses who work collaboratively to promote a healthy recovery. An emphasis on interprofessional collaboration has grown from the increasing knowledge that working in isolation makes it more difficult for the professional to provide high quality care when dealing with a more complex case. However, studies have shown that most healthcare professionals were seen working in silos due to the challenges faced when trying to collaborate with other professionals. Purpose. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of interprofessional collaboration between occupational therapists and registered nurses in an inpatient rehabilitation facility within the stroke unit. Method. The study consisted of a small-scale qualitative design using interviews with three occupational therapists and three registered nurses working within an inpatient rehabilitation facility. Participants were recruited through purposive sampling. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data collected. Results. Two principal themes were developed – namely the barriers and the facilitators to collaboration. Each overarching theme was further divided into subthemes describing the perceived barriers and facilitators to collaboration of the participants. Implications. This study hopes to improve the collaborative relationship between occupational therapists and registered nurses by contributing new insights into interprofessional working, with the goal of improving quality of care for the patients and may also be used as a guide towards the development of interprofessional education aimed at improving the relationship between nurses and occupational therapists, as well as with other healthcare professionals.