Interprofessional collaboration in Swiss palliative care- a mixed-method approach

In order to achieve high quality care and cost efficiency in palliative care, inter-professional collaboration is imperative. Inter-professional collaboration has been broadly investigated in health care research, yet still, there is limited knowledge about to which extent, and in what ways, palliative care providers collaborate with each other. However, this research is much needed, since it is known from previous research that when the formation of strong ties between professionals, especially between primary and specialized care, is being inhibited, this can lead to negative patient outcomes due to a lack of continuity of care. Shortcomings in interprofessional collaboration could cause a loss of information, which might result in that patients do not receive the best possible care or are unnecessarily transferred from one care setting to another. On the other hand, strong collaborative networking of various medical and supporting professions can ensure cost- efficient and high-performance care provision. For this reason, I tried to highlight possible gaps in collaboration and networking building, which can serve as a basis for decision makers to start future incentives to foster collaboration. My thesis further investigates, if different organizational factors contribute to, or hinder, information exchange in palliative care teams as perceived by professionals. There is a major gap in research, concerning which organizational factors, such as internal guidelines for collaboration, the use of electronic patient files, the evaluation of collaborative processes, or sufficient opportunities for face-to-face meetings contribute to information sharing in palliative care, which is a major part of successful collaboration. Results of this study can guide decision makers to ensure a more adequate distribution of organizational resources in the future. In summary, this thesis investigates patterns of collaboration, and organizational determinants for information sharing of palliative care professionals in Switzerland, using statistical data of palliative care providers obtained from a cross-cantonal survey (N=1,111), and a set of qualitative interviews with specialized doctors.