UC Irvine

The attitudes and behaviors of healthcare service providers can influence both provider and patient satisfaction. Groups of individuals that communicate effectively, delegate tasks, share responsibility, and work towards a common goal are indicative of a collaborative clinical culture. Using a new survey instrument, we were able to assess the level of collaborative clinical culture in the Department of Anesthesiology and Perioperative Care at the University of California, Irvine. Positive team function was found to be associated with high levels of morale, and team problems were associated with increased job stress. The survey instrument was shown to have excellent internal consistency, and is suitable for measuring collaborative clinical culture in this type of hospital setting. This exploratory analysis with a new instrument provides a baseline from which additional research in multiple departments and with multiple patient outcomes can be performed.