A World Apart: How Occupational Therapists, Nurses and Care Managers Perceive Each other in Acute Health Care

Abstract

Multidisciplinary teamwork is one of the key processes through which care is managed in the British National Health Service. Working in a multidisciplinary team requires many skills, which include understanding not only one's own role but also that of other professionals. The aim of this paper is to provide an understanding of occupational therapists', nurses' and care managers' perceptions of each other and how these influence interprofessional relationships. In total, nine occupational therapists, nine care managers and 19 nurses within an acute physical health care setting were interviewed using the critical incident approach. The findings revealed that the interprofessional relationships between nurses, care managers and occupational therapists were often problematic owing to role confusion and competing priorities, which influenced communication. To prevent role ambiguity, occupational therapists must define their role clearly. It is suggested that multidisciplinary team members need continuing interprofessional education in order to understand the changing roles in the National Health Service.