NURSE-PHYSICIAN COLLABORATION: A COMPARATIVE STUDY OF THE ATTITUDES OF NURSES AND PHYSICIANS AT MANSOURA UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL

Collaboration and team work between physicians and nurses is crucial for patient care and morale. Each team member has his own perspective regarding assessment and plan of care for a patient and only through collaboration and exchange of information can appropriate treatment plans be made. The study aims to study attitudes of nurses and physicians regarding nurse-physician collaboration in general medical and surgical units at Mansoura University Hospital and to measure differences in attitudes of nurses and physicians regarding nurse - physician collaboration. All nurses and physicians (n=135) available at time of data collection, who were working in medical and surgical units. Data were collected by using Jefferson scale of attitudes toward nurse-physician collaboration. The Jefferson scale has four subscales that measure:(a) shared education and teamwork (7 items with responses from 1-4, with a subscale score range of 7-28) ;(b) caring versus curing (3 items with a subscale score range of 3-12) ;(c) autonomy (3 items with a subscale score range of 3-12) and physician dominance (2 items, with a subscale score range of 2-8). Results revealed that the total scores indicated that nurses have more positive attitudes toward nurse- physician collaboration than physicians. (Karima A. EL Sayed and Wafaa F. Sleem. Nurse - physician collaboration: A comparative study of the attitudes of nurses and physicians at Mansoura University Hospital. Life Science Journal, 2011; 8(2):140-146) (ISSN:1097-8135). http://www.lifesciencesite.com.