[Inter-Professional Communication Between Nursing Therapists and other Therapeutic Professions (Physio-, Occupation and Speech Therapy) in Neurological Early Rehabilitation].

PURPOSE: A comparison of inter-professional communication within the core therapeutic teams including nurses in 5 neurological early rehabilitation hospitals of one non-profit organization was supposed to indicate factors facilitating and impairing cooperation.

METHODS

Data collection was conducted through analysis of architecture plans, passive participating observation in 10 wards and through partly standardized interviews (N=39). Participants were nurses, physio-, occupational and speech therapists. Data analysis used the method of Thick Description [1].

RESULTS

A permanent team, daily team conferences, treatments in cooperation, ward based training and informal talks influence interprofessional communication. Organizational and structural preconditions have effects on the quality of communication.

CONCLUSION

Daily inter-professional briefings and the organization of training sessions within the team improve inter-professional communication, a confrontation nurses vs. therapists impairs it.