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Despite an increased emphasis on working in teams among health professionals of today, we lack prospective studies on factors that may influence team work in physicians. This study aims to investigate individual predictors of perceived team climate and collaboration, also when controlled for concurrent work-related factors.
Methods
We used a sample of medical students (N=379) who graduated in 1993 and 1994 from the Longitudinal Study of Norwegian Medical Students and Doctors (NORDOC). They gave responses in their final year of medical school (T1), at the end of their first postgraduate year (T2), and in the 10th (T3) and 15th(T4)postgraduate year (2008). The outcome was Perceived Team Climate and Collaboration (PTCC) measured at T3 and T4. Predictors were Inventory of Interpersonal Problems (IIP) measured at T1 and T2, as well as concurrent factors such as work position, number of work hours per week, and job stress (Cooper/Tyssen). The predictors were studied with linear regressions.
Results
Response rate was 69% (233/379), and 54% were women. There was a significant increase in PTCC from T3 to T4 (p<0.001). Significant adjusted predictors of PTCC at T3 were low levels of IIP-Socially Avoidant (p<0.05) and low job stress (p<0.01). Adjusted predictors of PTCC at T4 were low IIP-Vindictive (p<0.05), low IIP-Nonassertive (p<0.05), and low job stress (p<0.05). The increase in PTCC from T3 to T4 was predicted by low IIP-Nonassertive (p<0.05), and change in job stress (p<0.01). When we analyzed the explained variance (Adjusted R2), the IIPs were more important over the years relative to work stress. There was no gender interaction with any of the significant predictors.
Discussion
In this long-term and nationwide follow-up study the Inventory of interpersonal problems predicted perceived team climate and collaboration at both observational periods, and it also predicted the incline in this variable over time.