The collaborative healthcare team: tensive issues warranting ongoing consideration.
OBJECTIVE
To provide a qualitative assessment of those tensive issues that warrant ongoing consideration by physicians (MDs) and advanced practice nurses (APNs) currently working in professional pairings on an interdisciplinary healthcare team.


METHODS
Verbatim transcripts of semistructured interviews from five MDs and eight APNs. Questions related to what MDs and APNs should expect from others in the practice; what characteristics were valued in the colleagues with whom they were paired; and what improvements might enhance their association.


CONCLUSIONS
Tensive issues were identified in five categories including autonomy and interdependence, professional role expectations, flexible role enactment, proactive problem solving, and action learning.


CONCLUSIONS
By understanding the tensive issues that could potentially influence the quality of collaboration, MDs and APNs can consider communication measures geared toward strengthening their partnerships.
Martin
Donald R
DR
DePaul University, Chicago, IL 60614, USA. dmartin@depaul.edu
O'Brien
Jill L
JL
Heyworth
Judith A
JA
Meyer
Nancy R
NR
D000328:Adult; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010561:Personnel Staffing and Scheduling; D011340:Problem Solving; D013997:Time Factors; D016526:Workload