Abstract CN13
Background
FICAN West cancer centre was established in 2017. It is a network of three hospitals and university in Southwest Finland. Establishment of the centre raise the need to increase interprofessional collaboration (IPC) between the three hospitals and across other clinics and professional boundaries. Previous research has shown leadership, among other things, to be important in development of collaboration between organisations and professionals. The aim of this study was to explore leadership support on interprofessional collaboration and work-related empowerment experienced by the multi-professional staff in the first two years from the beginning of the FICAN West.
Methods
Interprofessional collaboration was assessed with the Interprofessional Collaboration and Leadership (ICL) instrument developed for the study and work related empowerment with the Performance of an Empowered Personnel (PEN) and Work Empowerment Promoting Factors (WEP) developed previously by Kuokkanen (2003), in 2018 (n= 350) and end of 2019 (n=84). The second sample consisted of participants who had answered the survey in 2018. However, they were not identified as individuals and therefore potential change was analysed as two cohorts. Both times the sample consists of staff members including cancer nurses, medical oncologists, surgeons and other medical professions and allied health professionals working with cancer patients in different settings from the three hospitals.
Results
There is an indication of positive change on the support to IPC by organization and leadership. From the empowerment promoting factors there is indication of a positive change on the future-orientedness including continuity of work, career opportunities and access to information. Interprofessional collaboration and work-related empowerment are interrelated indicating the relationship between the two.
Conclusions
Recognition of professionals' perceptions of leadership and management support can help to develop leadership in interprofessional collaboration and the support of work-related empowerment. Hospital leaders can use the results of this study to identify factors needing attention and development within the cancer care.
Clinical trial identification
Editorial acknowledgement
Legal entity responsible for the study
The authors.
Funding
The Finnish Work Environment Fund.
Disclosure
All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.