Interprofessional Teamwork in the Inpatient Psychiatric Unit

Interprofessional teamwork involves professionals of different disciplines working collaboratively together to meet specific goals or solve problems. Members of health care teams must effectively collaborate to promote favorable quality of care. Effective collaboration has been found to be associated with improved patient outcomes. The Healthy Teams Model (Mickan & Rodger, 2005) identified four major themes relevant to perceived interprofessional teamwork (IPT) in mental health: communication, mutual respect, roles, and team culture. This descriptive study assessed the perceptions of interprofessional teamwork by psychiatric nurses and clinical care coordinators in a psychiatric inpatient unit. Thirty-four registered nurses and eighteen clinical care coordinators completed the Modified Index for Interdisciplinary Collaboration at a Central Virginia inpatient psychiatric facility. Findings demonstrated positive evaluations of IPT by registered nurses and clinical care coordinators. Level of academic degree was found to be correlated (r = 0.28, p < 0.05) to IPT and an inverse relationship was found between age and flexibility (r = -0.28, p < 0.05). This study provides support for the Healthy Teams Model by demonstrating positive perceptions of IPT by nurses and clinical care coordinators in an inpatient psychiatric setting.