Background. Collaboration between occupational therapists and nurses is key to a positive prognosis for their patients. Currently, there is a gap in the research on professional relationships between occupational therapists and registered nurses in acute care settings.
Purpose. To examine interprofessional collaboration between registered nurses and occupational therapy in an acute care setting.
Methods. A phenomenological, qualitative design with use of semi-structured interviews was used. Interviewees were four occupational therapists and four registered nurses who currently work in acute care settings in Northern California and were recruited through a snowball, convenience and purposive sampling. Themes and subthemes that emerged from the data answered the research questions.
Findings. The key factors preventing collaboration were: Time constraints, role confusion and overlap, personality factors, and lack of occupational therapy advocacy.
Implications. This study may guide the development of interprofessional education to improve the collaborative relationship between occupational therapists and nurses to ultimately improve quality of care.
","abstract_html":"<p><strong>Background.</strong> Collaboration between occupational therapists and nurses is key to a positive prognosis for their patients. Currently, there is a gap in the research on professional relationships between occupational therapists and registered nurses in acute care settings.</p> <p><strong>Purpose.</strong> To examine interprofessional collaboration between registered nurses and occupational therapy in an acute care setting.</p> <p><strong> Methods.</strong> A phenomenological, qualitative design with use of semi-structured interviews was used. Interviewees were four occupational therapists and four registered nurses who currently work in acute care settings in Northern California and were recruited through a snowball, convenience and purposive sampling. Themes and subthemes that emerged from the data answered the research questions.</p> <p><strong>Findings.</strong> The key factors preventing collaboration were: Time constraints, role confusion and overlap, personality factors, and lack of occupational therapy advocacy.</p> <p><strong> Implications.</strong> This study may guide the development of interprofessional education to improve the collaborative relationship between occupational therapists and nurses to ultimately improve quality of care.</p>","abstract_has_math":false,"creators":["Loy, Bethany","Micheff, Holly","Nguyen, Kelly","O'Brien, Vincent"],"institution":null,"degree_name":"Master of Science in Occupational Therapy","degree_level":"Master's Thesis","degree_discipline":"Occupational Therapy","degree_department":null,"school":null,"contributors":["Eira Klich-Heartt, DNP, RN, CNS, CNL"],"advisors":[],"committee_chairs":[],"committee_members":[],"year":2015,"date_issued":"2015-05-01T07:00:00Z","date_published":"2015-05-01T07:00:00Z","updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:04:35Z","subjects":["Interprofessional communication","Interdisciplinary collaboration","Multidisciplinary care model","Interprofessional education","Interdisciplinary education","Patient health outcomes","Medical Education","Nursing","Occupational Therapy"],"languages":[],"rights":[],"rights_urls":[],"identifier_entries":[]},"links":{"outbound_url":"https://scholar.dominican.edu/masters-theses/133","outbound_label":"Repository record","outbound_source":"dc:identifier"},"metadata_groups":[{"id":"people","label":"People","entries":[{"key":"dc:contributor","label":"Contributor","values":["Eira Klich-Heartt, DNP, RN, CNS, CNL"]},{"key":"dc:creator","label":"Author","values":["Loy, Bethany","Micheff, Holly","Nguyen, Kelly","O'Brien, Vincent"]}]},{"id":"academic_context","label":"Academic Context","entries":[{"key":"dc:date.available","label":"Dc Date Available","values":["1970-01-01T08:00:00Z"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_discipline","label":"Discipline","values":["Occupational Therapy"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_level","label":"Degree Level","values":["Master's Thesis"]},{"key":"thesis:degree_name","label":"Degree Name","values":["Master of Science in Occupational Therapy"]}]},{"id":"subjects_keywords","label":"Subjects and Keywords","entries":[{"key":"dc:subject","label":"Dc Subject","values":["Interprofessional communication","Interdisciplinary collaboration","Multidisciplinary care model","Interprofessional education","Interdisciplinary education","Patient health outcomes","Medical Education","Nursing","Occupational Therapy"]}]},{"id":"identifiers","label":"Identifiers","entries":[{"key":"dc:identifier","label":"Identifier","values":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/masters-theses/133"]}]},{"id":"additional","label":"Additional Metadata","entries":[{"key":"dc:description.abstract","label":"Abstract","values":["Background. Collaboration between occupational therapists and nurses is key to a positive prognosis for their patients. Currently, there is a gap in the research on professional relationships between occupational therapists and registered nurses in acute care settings.
Purpose. To examine interprofessional collaboration between registered nurses and occupational therapy in an acute care setting.
Methods. A phenomenological, qualitative design with use of semi-structured interviews was used. Interviewees were four occupational therapists and four registered nurses who currently work in acute care settings in Northern California and were recruited through a snowball, convenience and purposive sampling. Themes and subthemes that emerged from the data answered the research questions.
Findings. The key factors preventing collaboration were: Time constraints, role confusion and overlap, personality factors, and lack of occupational therapy advocacy.
Implications. This study may guide the development of interprofessional education to improve the collaborative relationship between occupational therapists and nurses to ultimately improve quality of care.
"]},{"key":"dc:title","label":"Title","values":["Interprofessional Collaboration Between Occupational Therapists and Nurses in an Acute Care Setting: An Exploratory Study"]}]}],"canonical_facts":{"dc:contributor":["Eira Klich-Heartt, DNP, RN, CNS, CNL"],"dc:creator":["Loy, Bethany","Micheff, Holly","Nguyen, Kelly","O'Brien, Vincent"],"dc:date.available":["1970-01-01T08:00:00Z"],"dc:description.abstract":["Background. Collaboration between occupational therapists and nurses is key to a positive prognosis for their patients. Currently, there is a gap in the research on professional relationships between occupational therapists and registered nurses in acute care settings.
Purpose. To examine interprofessional collaboration between registered nurses and occupational therapy in an acute care setting.
Methods. A phenomenological, qualitative design with use of semi-structured interviews was used. Interviewees were four occupational therapists and four registered nurses who currently work in acute care settings in Northern California and were recruited through a snowball, convenience and purposive sampling. Themes and subthemes that emerged from the data answered the research questions.
Findings. The key factors preventing collaboration were: Time constraints, role confusion and overlap, personality factors, and lack of occupational therapy advocacy.
Implications. This study may guide the development of interprofessional education to improve the collaborative relationship between occupational therapists and nurses to ultimately improve quality of care.
"],"dc:identifier":["https://scholar.dominican.edu/masters-theses/133"],"dc:subject":["Interprofessional communication","Interdisciplinary collaboration","Multidisciplinary care model","Interprofessional education","Interdisciplinary education","Patient health outcomes","Medical Education","Nursing","Occupational Therapy"],"dc:title":["Interprofessional Collaboration Between Occupational Therapists and Nurses in an Acute Care Setting: An Exploratory Study"],"thesis:degree_discipline":["Occupational Therapy"],"thesis:degree_level":["Master's Thesis"],"thesis:degree_name":["Master of Science in Occupational Therapy"]},"updated_at":"2026-07-24T02:04:35Z"}