Demographic Characteristics and Relational Coordination in ICU Teams: Implications for Building Diverse and Effective Healthcare Collaboration

Abstract

Objective: To determine if professional roles and demographic characteristics predict relational coordination (RC) among healthcare professionals in the ICU.

Background: Race, age, and sex diversity are increasing in the medical and nursing workforce, raising questions regarding how well healthcare professionals are collaborating. RC is a validated model for coordinating interdependent work among healthcare professionals.

Methods: The research team conducted a secondary analysis from a 2-group parallel randomized controlled trial. Study variables were examined using multiple regression.

Results: One hundred two participants completed the survey. Professional role, race, age, and experience were not associated with RC. Sex and education were significantly associated with RC. Males and participants with bachelor's degrees reported higher RC within roles.

Conclusion: Diverse and inclusive work environments are critical to patient and staff outcomes. Nurse leaders can use RC to foster teamwork and coordinate patient care among healthcare professionals, despite demographic characteristics and professional roles.