INTERPROFESSIONAL COLLABORATION IN HIGHLY COMPLEX HEALTHCARE SERVICES

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate interprofessional collaboration among multidisciplinary teams in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) and Emergency and Urgent Care Unit (EHU) at a University Hospital. Method: A quantitative-qualitative study with a sample of 112 professionals. The data collection instrument used was the Jefferson Scale of Attitudes Related to Interprofessional Collaboration (JARCI), composed of 20 questions with agreement and disagreement responses according to a seven-level Likert-type scale, as well as an open-ended question about the challenges of interprofessional collaboration. Descriptive statistical analysis with measures of central tendency and dispersion was performed to evaluate the results (quantitative data) and content analysis (qualitative data). Results: The results showed that 47.6% of professionals in the ICU and 51% in the EHU presented high levels of interprofessional collaboration. Furthermore, there was no significant association between the level of interprofessional collaboration and the sociodemographic variables analyzed, including age and sex (p > 0.05). The study reinforced the existence of challenges in interprofessional collaboration, highlighting effective communication, the culture of subordination and hierarchy among professions, the dynamics of teamwork, lack of knowledge about other professions, disrespect and devaluation, personal differences, and lack of maturity and humility. Conclusion: The study showed that challenges in interprofessional collaboration persist, mainly related to effective communication, hierarchical relationships, and teamwork in highly complex services.