Comparing the attitude of doctors and nurses toward factor of collaborative relationships

Background and objectives: Effective relationship and collaboration between doctors and nurses is considered the main factor in achieving positive medical results, which is the most important goal of the healthcare system. This study aims to compare attitude of doctors and nurses toward factors associated with doctor-nurse collaboration, including shared education and teamwork, caring as opposed to curing, physician's dominance, and nurses' autonomy.

Methods: In this cross sectional, descriptive-comparative study, the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes toward Physician-Nurse Collaboration was used to assess doctor-nurse collaboration in four domains, including shared education and teamwork, caring as opposed to curing, physician's dominance, and nurses' autonomy. To this end, descriptive (mean, standard deviation) and inferential statistics including independent t test, Chi-square, and variance analysis were used.

Results: According to the results obtained, compared to doctors, nurses showed a more positive attitude toward shared education and teamwork, caring as opposed to curing, and physicians' dominance, but there was no significant difference between the two groups in nurses' autonomy.

Conclusion: With regard to doctor-nurse collaboration, it is essential that doctors and nurses be acculturated in the course of their academic education. Moreover, policies to change pattern of professional relationships from hierarchical to complementary can be effective in enhancing professional autonomy of nurses and reducing impaired professional interactions.