Association Between Interdisciplinary Collaboration and Leadership Ability in Intensive Care Unit Nurses: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Interdisciplinary collaboration in the intensive care unit (ICU) is crucial for improving the quality of patient care. Furthermore, interdisciplinary team members need to establish team leadership to function effectively in solving problems. However, the influence of improving leadership ability in nurses on interdisciplinary collaboration efficacy is uncertain.

Purpose: This study was designed to clarify the relationship between nursing leadership ability and interdisciplinary collaboration.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 3,324 nurses with > 3 years of experience working in an ICU in Japan as participants. The investigation period was from April to September 2016. The developed questionnaire addressed leadership ability (Self-Assessment Inventory of Leadership role for staff nurses) and activities and perceptions related to multidisciplinary collaboration (Collaboration and Satisfaction About Care Decisions). The questionnaires were then collected and mailed.

Results: The 2,063 valid questionnaire responses gave a valid response rate of 61%. Nursing leadership ability was found to be significantly higher in advanced practice nurses (APNs; 78.8 ± 9.5, p < .001) and nurses in higher positions (74.9 ± 8.9, p < .001) than in non-APNs. However, no differences were found in terms of ICU management systems (p = .116). In addition, higher levels of nursing leadership were associated with greater team coordination (β = .212), higher levels of interdisciplinary collaboration in the ICU (β = .196), and the perception of many medical staff members, as well as patients and family members, to be team members (β = .140) and APNs (β = .128; p < .001).

Conclusions/implications for practice: Improving the leadership ability of critical care nurses may impact interdisciplinary collaboration positively. Leadership ability in nurses was shown to be related to a high level of cooperation among multiple healthcare providers. To enhance leadership ability in critical care nurses, nurses must increase their level of knowledge and ability. However, examining and implementing educational methods, including the improvement of coordination ability mainly by APNs, remain a challenge.