Night Physician-Nurse Collaboration: Developing the Scale of Physicians' Difficulties and Exploring Related Factors in Acute Care Hospitals.

BACKGROUND

Responding to inpatient deterioration is less favorable at night than during the day, and this may be related to barriers in collaboration between physicians and nurses. However, there had been no way to assess the problem. This study aimed to develop a scale for physicians to measure difficulties in nighttime collaboration with nurses in response to deteriorating inpatients and to identify factors associated with the developed scale scores.

METHODS

We developed a draft scale of Nighttime Collaboration Difficulties between Nurses and Physicians for Physicians (NCDNP-P) based on key informant interviews with physicians. Psychometric validations, including structural validity, criterion-related validity, and reliability tests, were conducted among physicians who worked on night duty or on call in acute-care hospitals in Japan using a cross-sectional web-based questionnaire. Multiple linear regression analyses were performed using independent variables including individual backgrounds, style of working at night, and facility characteristics.

RESULTS

By performing exploratory factor analysis, we confirmed the structural validity of the NCDNP-P, consisting of seven items and two domains (Domain 1: Dissatisfaction with reporting, Domain 2: Barriers to working with nurses). Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega coefficients were 0.81-0.84 and 0.81-0.89, respectively. The criterion-related validity for interprofessional collaboration was confirmed. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the variables employment status, number of night shifts, frequency of nighttime calls about patients under another physician's charge, and handover between physicians before changing shifts were statistically significantly associated with NCDNP-P scores.

CONCLUSION

We developed the NCDNP-P, confirming its reliability and validity. Identified factors reflect physicians' characteristics and the problems experienced working at night and may be associated with barriers in nighttime collaboration. The NCDNP-P can highlight issues in clinical settings and lead to the consideration of initiatives to address such issues.