Effects of interprofessional practice on nursing workload in hospitals: A systematic review

• Published in: The International journal of health planning and management Vol. 39; no. 3; pp. 824 - 843
• Main Authors: Cucolo, Danielle Fabiana, Campos Oliveira, João Lucas, Rossit, Rosana Aparecida Salvador, Mininel, Vivian Aline, Perroca, Marcia Galan, Silva, Jaqueline Alcântara Marcelino da
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Wiley Subscription Services, Inc 01.05.2024
• Subjects: Clinical outcomes; Cognitive ability; Coping; Data analysis; Data quality; Decision making; Effects; Emotions; Extraction; Health care management; Health care policy; hospital; Hospitalization; Hospitals; Inpatient care; Intensive care; Intensive care units; Interdisciplinary aspects; interprofessional relations; nurse; Nurses; Nursing; Overloading; Patient care planning; patient care team; Patients; Professional practice; Scientific evidence; Systematic review; Time management; Working conditions; Workload; Workloads; patient care team; nurse; interprofessional relations; workload; hospital
• ISSN: 0749-6753; 1099-1751
• DOI: 10.1002/hpm.3779

Objective To synthesise scientific evidence on interprofessional practice in hospital care and the effects on nursing workload. Methods Systematic mixed method review, registered in PROSPERO (CRD42021225627) and conducted in the following databases: CINAHL, Medline, Web of Science and Scopus, with no restrictions on the publication period of the studies. Primary studies were recruited on nurses' interprofessional practice (actions and interactions with other professional categories) in hospitals and the effects on one or more dimensions of nursing workload (quantitative, qualitative, physical, cognitive, emotional, time and variation). Scientific articles available in open access, in English, Spanish or Portuguese, were included. The searches were carried out in January 2021. The studies were evaluated by pairs of independent researchers to verify methodological quality, through the Mixed Method Appraisal Tool, and data extraction. To summarise the studies, thematic analysis was adopted. Results A total of 1774 publications were assessed for eligibility and 17 studies were included. Of these, two were mixed methods, four were qualitative, and 11 were quantitative, published between 2011 and 2020. The main scenarios investigated were Intensive Care Units and/or Inpatient Units. During data analysis, three thematic categories emerged: Interprofessional practice in coping with emotional overload; Time dedicated by nurses to professional communication; and Working conditions and patient care. The third category consisted of three subthemes: Conflict and flexibility in the context of practice; Working conditions and interprofessional practice; and Effects on patient care. Conclusions The evidence points to the emotional overload of nurses in the face of uncooperative practices. Interprofessional actions, especially communicative ones, demand nurses' time and impact the care provided. The results contribute to political decisions and health work management. Highlights Interprofessional work helps with care demands and patient safety; A good relationship with the medical team reduces the emotional burden on nurses; Professional communication and short‐term interactions demand a lot of time from nurses; Conflict management is a critical skill to be developed in healthcare teams.