The Exploration of Inter-Professional Relationships from the Perspective of Operating Room Students: A Qualitative Study

Introduction: Appropriate communication between healthcare team members and patient influences health outcomes and improves job satisfaction. There is a higher need to effective communication in the operating room due to the heavy workload. Understanding the factors affecting the relationship between healthcare professionals from the perspective of students can help design appropriate strategies for improving professional practice and the quality of care in clinical settings. The aim of this study was to explore inter-professional communication from the perspectives of operating room students using a qualitative design. Methods: A qualitative study using a conventional content analysis method was performed. Participants were consisted of bachelor degree students of operating room in university in Guilan university of Medical Sciences of Iran. They were chosen using a purposive sampling method. Semi-structured interviews were conducted for data collection until data saturation was achieved. The data was analyzed using the content analysis method suggested by Graneheim and Lundman. The criteria described by Guba and Lincoln were used for ensuring the rigor. Results: The data analysis led to the development of three themes and twelve subthemes: “The effective Inter-professional communication” with the sub-themes of ‘continuous scientific communication’, ‘interaction management’, ‘empathy/emotional support’ and ‘participatory decision making’; “dysfunctional professional communication” with the sub-themes of ‘limited values’, ‘marginalized communication’, ‘confusion in the work load’ and ‘destroyed preconceptions’; “the clear vision of the link between professions” with the sub-themes of ‘the enhanced perception of self’, ‘independence and competency’, ‘participatory learning’ and ‘holistic care of the patient’. Conclusion: According to the experiences of operating room students, providing optimal clinical conditions, enhancing cooperation and effective Inter-professional are required for improving the quality of care and protecting public health.