Association between the Quantity of Nurse–Doctor Interprofessional Collaboration and in-Patient Mortality: A Systematic Review

Abstract

The level of nurse–doctor interprofessional collaboration may influence patient outcomes, including mortality. To date, no systematic reviews have investigated the association between the quantity of nurse–doctor interprofessional collaboration and inpatient mortality. A systematic review was conducted. We included studies that measured the quantity of nurse–doctor interprofessional collaboration and in-patient mortality. Five databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, and the Cochrane Register) were searched. Two researchers undertook the title, abstract, and full-text screening. The risk of bias was determined using the Effective Public Health Practice Project (EPHPP) critical appraisal tool. Six reports from three observational studies met the inclusion criteria. Participants included 1.32 million patients, 29,591 nurses, and 191 doctors. The included studies had a high risk of bias. Of the three studies, one reported a significant association and one found no association between the quantity of nurse–doctor collaboration and mortality. The third study reported on the quantity of nurse–doctor collaboration but did not report the test of this association. We found no high-quality evidence to suggest the amount of nurse–doctor interprofessional collaboration was associated with mortality in medical and surgical inpatients. There is a need for further high-quality research to evaluate the association between the amount of nurse–doctor collaboration and patient outcomes.