Impact of hospitalists’ social identities on perceptions of teamwork.
- Resource Type
- Article
- Authors
- Herchline, Daniel; Tenney-Soeiro, Rebecca; Mehta, Jay J.
- Source
- Journal of Interprofessional Care. Nov2021, p1-8. 8p. 1 Illustration, 2 Charts.
- Subject
- Language
- ISSN
- 1356-1820
Interprofessional teamwork provides unique opportunities for improving patient care. This study used Social Identity Theory as a conceptual framework to characterize the relationships between the social identities of pediatric hospitalists and their perceptions of interprofessional teamwork. We used qualitative methods including free-listing and semi-structured interviews to examine these relationships. We identified five key themes: (a) Pediatric hospitalists’ identities fall along a spectrum ranging from profession-centered to team-centered; (b) Familiarity is conducive to formation of team identity; (c) Co-creation of a shared vision and practice of creating shared mental models strengthens sense of team; (d) Institutional culture acts as both a facilitator for and barrier to formation of team identity; (e) High-functioning teams often epitomize the concept of “flexible leadership.” We conclude that Social Identity Theory can be a useful theoretical lens for examining interprofessional teamwork in healthcare settings, including among pediatric hospitalists. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]