Exploring Conflict within Multidisciplinary Teams in the Acute Care Setting from a Nurses Perspective

Abstract

Canadian healthcare organizations are experiencing increasing challenges meeting the evolving health needs of aging and growing populations. The ability to manage conflict between multiple stakeholders with varying priorities, responsibilities and associations relative to the healthcare organization is critical to more effectively meet these challenges. The following qualitative research explores factors that contribute to conflict within a multidisciplinary healthcare teams setting and between regulated health professionals. Four registered nurses from an acute care hospital setting in a large metropolitan center were recruited to share their experiences of multidisciplinary team conflict through the use of facilitated focus group sessions. A thematic analysis revealed four main themes perceived as contributing to conflict: team discordance, professional expectations, relational conflict and communication barriers. These findings expand the current limited body of research while aiding the development of best practice tools and guidelines for healthcare organizations.