This descriptive research aimed to study process and problems/barriers of collaboration within surgery health teams. Subjects comprised up to 6 members of the surgical team in each of 15 general hospitals in southern Thailand. Simple random sampling was used to recruit members of each surgery health team from surgeon, anesthetist, operating nurse and nurses from male and female surgical wards. A total of 75 subjects participated.
The instruments used in this study were (1) the demographic data form and (2) the process and problems/barriers of collaboration development questionnaire, which was developed based on the process of developing collaboration proposed by Sullivan (1998). Data were collected by self-completed questionnaire mailed to the selected members of the surgery health teams. The data were analyzed using frequency, mean and standard deviation. The theoretical range of each score was 1-5. The mean score of the overall process of collaboration development was at a moderate level (X = 3.63, SD = 0.27). When considering each dimension, the mean scores of three among five dimensions were at high levels: (1) commitment to collaboration ( X = 3.85, SD = 0.13); (2) preparation of collaboration (X = 3.77, SD=0.15); and (3) presence of supportive leadership (X = 3.76, SD=0.13). The remaining two dimensions were at a moderate level: (1) sufficient investment of material and human resources ( X = 3.55, SD = 0.26); (2) collaborator designing practice and relations ( X = 3.22, SD = 0.43).
The mean score of the overall problems/barriers of collaboration development was at a moderate level ( X = 2.60, SD = 0.13). When considering each dimension, the mean scores of five dimensions were at a moderate level: (1) presence of supportive leadership ( X = 2.65, SD = 0.13); (2) sufficient investment of material and human resources ( X = 2.64, SD = 0.18); (3) preparation of collaboration ( X = 2.57, SD = 0.12); (4) commitment to collaboration ( X = 2.57, SD = 0.12); and (5) the collaborator designing practice and relations ( X = 2.57, SD = 0.06). The findings of this study should be useful in developing collaboration within surgery health teams, improving their work and promoting patient satisfaction.