Interprofessional collaboration in the breast cancer unit: how do healthcare workers see it?

Abstract

Background Interprofessional collaboration has an important role in health care for breast cancer patients who are undergoing treatment at the hospital. Interprofessional collaboration has been reported to provide significant benefits for patients. However, qualitative research on interprofessional collaboration in the breast cancer department is rarely done, therefore, a study was conducted to determine the perception of health practitioners about interprofessional collaboration in the breast care unit at a referral centre hospital in West Java, Indonesia. Methods A qualitative study was carried out using in-depth interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs) with 15 healthcare personnel using total sampling. Participants were chosen among healthcare professionals who treat and in charge for outpatient breast cancer, but were not resident physicians. The FGD approach was used for nurses and pharmacists, and interviews were used for oncologists. The audio recordings of all interviews and FGDs were transcribed verbatim and evaluated using thematic analysis. Result The findings were categorized into two categories to obtain health care workers' perspectives on interprofessional collaboration: (1) impediment factors: personality, lack of leadership, seniority, healthcare workers with double positions, the need for a clinical meeting, hospital bureaucracy, national health insurance implementation, issues with patients, hospital infrastructure, and evaluation and synchronisation; (2) existing supportive elements: effective cooperation, effective communication, clear job description, interpersonal relationships, Standard Operational Procedure (SOP) for cancer therapy, legality for inter-discipline cancer team, professional responsibility, integrated clinical pathway, patient centred care, and comprehensive health services. Conclusions Interprofessional collaboration was seen positively by the respondents. However, there are several hurdles that must be overcome to apply interprofessional collaboration works effectively. The findings of this study can be used to build interprofessional collaborations targeted at enhancing quality health care in breast cancer units.

Towards Agility in Breast Cancer Treatment Principles as Adopted from Agile Software Engineering

“…25 In short, involving patients in MDT communication has enhanced and improved their quality of life and survival rate. [76][77][78][79][80] A patient-centric process empowers BCT, and this supports addressing the agility perspective in BCT. Good, shared decisions are made based on good collaborations.…”

“…The research community reports the priority of having self-organized MDT; however, some factors may still hinder the effectiveness of these interactions, and these are reported to include leadership, individuals personality, cultural and belief systems, the need for regular clinical meeting, healthcare workers with double positions, availability of workforce, goals of care, implementation of national health insurance, hospital bureaucracy, issues with hospital infrastructure, patients, and high turnover. 80 , 161 , 162 Shared decision-making: as mentioned earlier, working together is much more than “policies, strategies, structures and processes”. 24 This is observed in involving patients, their families, BC experts, and other relevant parties in the exchange of significant information to assist in managing this complex therapy process.…”

“…The research community reports the priority of having self-organized MDT; however, some factors may still hinder the effectiveness of these interactions, and these are reported to include leadership, individuals personality, cultural and belief systems, the need for regular clinical meeting, healthcare workers with double positions, availability of workforce, goals of care, implementation of national health insurance, hospital bureaucracy, issues with hospital infrastructure, patients, and high turnover. 80 , 161 , 162 …”

Implications of Agile Values in Software Engineering for Agility in Breast Cancer Treatment: Protocol for a Comparative Study

“…This is observed in patient collaboration and in visits that begin early in the BCT process and should happen frequently. This close collaboration culture with patients has been reported to lead to significant benefits for them, particularly when they are unable to make decisions [ 44 ]. Close collaboration helps oncologists and their teams ensure they are delivering an effective, useful treatment solution to patients.…”

Educational Intervention for Family Nursing Students in Long-Term Cancer Survivorship: A Randomized Pilot Trial

“…This decision was based on the argument that quality cancer care requires professionals working collaboratively and making shared decisions (James et al, 2016). However, interprofessional practice in cancer care is complex, and there are obstacles to overcome to effectively implement interprofessional collaboration (Kurniasih et al, 2022).…”