JBI Evidence Synthesis, 18(6), 1208–1270.
Objective:
The objective of this review was to gain a better understanding of the interprofessional collaboration
between health care professionals from the patients’ point of view during hospitalisation; the influence of
interprofessional collaboration on patient care, safety, and well-being; and patients’ perspectives of their role in
the interprofessional collaboration process.
Introduction:
Interprofessional collaboration is a key factor in improving patient health care outcomes and safety
through better communication between health care professionals, better teamwork, and better care coordination.
However, implementing interprofessional collaboration in the clinical setting can prove complex. Patients are
increasingly interested in becoming partners within the health care system. They have the potential to contribute to
their own safety and to observe professionals during the care process, thus gaining a better understanding of the
interprofessional collaboration process and facilitating changes in the behavior of health care professionals.
Inclusion criteria:
This review considered qualitative research and mixed-method studies. Participants were
hospitalized patients. Studies were included when they explored i) patients’ perceptions of interprofessional
collaboration, ii) the influence of interprofessional collaboration on patients’ care, safety, or well-being, or iii)
patients’ perceptions of their own role in interprofessional collaboration. Qualitative studies focusing only on the care
process or families’ points of view were excluded.
Methods:
Searches of six databases including MEDLINE, CINAHL, Embase, Web of Science, PsycINFO, and Sociological
Abstract, limited to English, French, and German were conducted from March 2017 to June 2018. Assessment of
methodological quality of studies was performed using the JBI Qualitative Assessment and Review Instrument. Data
were extracted using the standardized data extraction tool from JBI. Data synthesis following the JBI approach
of meta-aggregation was performed. The level of confidence for each synthesized finding was established based
on ConQual.
Results:
A total of 22 studies were included, which resulted in 89 findings and 24 categories. Eight synthesized
findings were generated: patients’ perceptions of interprofessional collaboration based on personal experiences and
observations; patients’ experiences with effective or ineffective interprofessional communication; patients’ experience with power imbalance and paternalistic attitudes; patients’ perceptions of key factors for a confident
relationship with the interprofessional health care team; patients’ need for comprehension of discussions between
health care professionals; patients’ perceptions of their role in an interprofessional health care team; patients’
perceptions of opportunities for empowerment in interprofessional health care teams; and patients’ need for
humanizing care from interprofessional health care teams. The level of confidence of synthesized findings varied
from low to moderate according to ConQual.
