Impact of Trust and Technology on Interprofessional Collaboration in Healthcare Settings

Abstract

The increases in complexity of patient care, healthcare costs, and technological advancements shifted the healthcare delivery to interprofessional collaborative care. The study aims for identifying the factors influencing the quality of team collaboration. The study examines the impact of trust and technology orientation on collaboration with the mediating effects of communication, coordination and cooperation. A questionnaire survey was conducted to gather data from healthcare professionals (N=216). Statistical analysis conducted for this study include correlations, factor analysis with reliability and validity tests and Partial Least Squares (PLS) method. The results of the study validate that (i) collaboration has positive and significant relationship with coordination, and cooperation; (ii) trust has positive and significant relationship with communication, coordination, and cooperation; and (iii) technology orientation has positive and significant relationship with cooperation but not with communication and coordination. The research and managerial implications of these factors are given in discussion. As with most empirical studies, the subjectivity of the opinion of respondents present some limitations to generalization. Other limitations include the lack of availability and use of standard measures for various constructs in the research model. The results can be used by healthcare professionals and managers to advance their understanding on the impact of trust and technology on collaboration mediating communication, coordination and cooperation practices. The significant value of this study is the identification of the factors influencing the quality of team collaboration in healthcare industry.