Date of Award

2025

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

College

College of Education and International Services

Program

Leadership PhD

First Advisor

Sharon Aka

Second Advisor

Jerome Thayer

Third Advisor

Shawn Collins

Abstract

Problem

While attention to interprofessional collaboration is increasingly present in academic settings and in clinical practice, there is little understanding of the role power, specifically the scope of influence, plays in interprofessional collaboration.

Method

Targeted cross-sectional sampling was used to select possible candidates to participate in this quantitative study. An email invitation was sent to healthcare providers, nurses and allied healthcare professionals in a multi-hospital healthcare system in the mid-western United States of America. Willing participants proceeded to the Microsoft Forms survey via an embedded link which was available to them for eight days. The survey sought demographic information, and followed with a combination of the Semantic Differential Power Perception (SDPP) survey and the Interprofessional Collaboration (IPC) scale. The survey was used to evaluate the relationship of ‘scope of influence’ on ‘collaboration’. Analysis of raw data involved descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha, Pearson correlation and ANOVA.

Results

While no significant association was identified between ‘influence’ (power) and ‘collaboration’ using the SDPP survey and IPC scale, emerging patterns warrant further study with larger sample sizes. Early findings demonstrated discordant perceptions of collaboration by groups with more power. In addition, nurses from Medicine floors described higher levels of collaboration with allied health professionals than the nurses from critical care or medical/surgical floors. Male allied health reported higher levels of communication and accommodation with nurses than female allied health. Nurses with more years of practice experience described higher levels of accommodation with allied health than did nurses with less years of experience. Male physicians reported higher levels of accommodation with nurses and allied health than female physicians. Physicians with more years of practice reported higher levels of accommodation with allied health than physicians with less years of practice. Healthcare providers had the most power when compared with nurses and allied health. Lastly, bases of influence were found to have a positive relationship with collaboration among each professional group.

Conclusions

Interprofessional collaboration in healthcare systems may enhance the quality of care delivered and decrease staff turnover, all while helping to contain cost. The vitality of such collaborations is grounded in respect, relationships and understanding, and oriented through common goals. The historically hierarchical structure within healthcare, while valuable to ensure order, may impact levels of collaborative efforts. This study conveys interprofessional collaboration from the perspectives of 155 healthcare professionals. It gives insight into scope of influence and power within professional groups. Lastly, it identifies opportunities to augment collaboration and possibly inspire additional research that strengthens interprofessional teams.

Subject Area

Nursing; Teams in the workplace; Team nursing; Health care teams

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