Addressing Virtual Work Challenges: Learning From the Field

Interprofessional collaboration in telemedicine for long-term care: An exploratory qualitative study

BACKGROUND

Widespread and sustained adoption of telemedicine in long-term residential care is emerging. Nursing home (NH) nurses play a key role in collaborating with remote physicians to manage residents' medical conditions through videoconferencing. Therefore, understanding of interprofessional collaboration and effective communication between nurses and physicians is critical to ensure quality of care and safety during teleconsultations.

AIMS

To explore NH nurses' and physicians' experiences of interprofessional collaboration and communication during teleconsultations.

METHODS

A qualitative descriptive design was adopted. Purposive sampling was conducted to recruit 22 physicians and nurses involved in NH teleconsultations. Semi-structured online interviews were conducted, and data were thematically analyzed.

RESULTS

Three themes were identified: (1) Manner of communication in telemedicine, (2) sociocultural influences in collaborative practice, and (3) role expectations in telemedicine. Both nurses and physicians recognized the importance of building and maintaining trust as physicians heavily depended on nurses for provision of objective information for clinical decision-making. However, practice differences were observed between nurses and physicians during teleconsultations. Sociocultural influences such as power relations and language barriers also affected the nurse-physician relationship and interpersonal communication. Additionally, different performance expectations were identified between nurses and physicians.

CONCLUSION

Interprofessional collaboration in teleconsultations is challenging because of lack of in-person assessment and dependence on nurses for clinical information. In addition, expectations and communication styles differ among healthcare professionals. This study called for interprofessional telemedicine training with incorporation of shared mental models to improve role clarity and communication. Given the international-dominated healthcare workforce in long-term care, the development of cultural competency could also be considered in telemedicine training to enhance nurse-physician collaborative practice.

CLINICAL RELEVANCE

Telemedicine is increasingly adopted in long-term care settings, where multidisciplinary healthcare professionals from different health institutions are involved in resident care. Interprofessional collaboration should be incorporated into telehealth education for enhanced clinical practice in this care delivery model.

A Maturity Model for Intraorganizational Online Collaboration

The capability to collaborate successfully within and between organizational units using online media supports organizations in addressing the increasing complexity of work tasks of knowledge workers. However, organizations are struggling to develop and sustain their intraorganizational online collaboration (IOC) capabilities organization-wide. Hence, holistic approaches to effectively manage this capability are needed. This paper addresses this problem by introducing a maturity model for intraorganizational online collaboration. The model builds on related maturity models and research of the domain. In a four-round ranking-type Delphi study, essential capability areas for IOC were identified and refined, and a general maturation path was developed. Compared to related maturity models, the presented maturity model addresses the specific domain focus of online collaboration within an organization from an organization-wide perspective. The model provides a framework for design elements for intraorganizational online collaboration and a highly reliable general maturation path.

The application of virtual teams in the improvement of enterprise management capability from the perspective of knowledge transfer

To clarify the problems existing in the process of knowledge transfer of virtual teams, the team cooperation optimization model is combined with the technological innovation capability under the neural network (NN) model, and it is expected to provide a reference for the knowledge management and technological innovation of enterprises. This study first explores the organization, collaboration, and management of virtual teams from the perspective of knowledge transfer. In addition, based on NN, the research and development (R&D) and innovation capabilities of enterprises are studied, and an evaluation index system is constructed. In the stage of empirical analysis, this study selects Enterprise A for research and analyzes the status quo and existing problems of this company. Then, this study proposes a set of schemes conducive to virtual team collaboration and comprehensively uses management theory to evaluate the application effect. The team collaboration model based on knowledge transfer is applied to the operation and management of the enterprise, which significantly improves the collaboration between the various departments of the enterprise and the fluidity of resources. An enterprise R&D capability evaluation system based on a NN model can comprehensively evaluate various index data, thereby prompting its further strategic management and investment. The virtual team collaboration model combined with the R&D technological innovation under the NN model can objectively evaluate the capabilities of the enterprise, thereby improving the management efficiency and benefiting the long-term development of the enterprise.

[Successful knowledge exchange in virtual teams-how important is social presence?]

Erfolgreicher Wissensaustausch ist ein zentraler Prozess für den Erfolg virtueller Teams. Damit gehen spezifische Herausforderungen einher. Die verwendete Informations- und Kommunikationstechnologien, die räumliche Trennung und der mangelnde persönliche Kontakt der Teammitglieder erschweren den Austausch von Wissen.

Die Forschung zu Einflussfaktoren auf Wissensaustausch in virtuellen Umgebungen fokussiert zumeist rein technische oder soziale Faktoren. Dagegen kaum beachtet ist die Rolle der sozialen Präsenz als interdisziplinäres Konstrukt. Soziale Präsenz meint das subjektive Erleben eines Zusammengehörigkeitsgefühls trotz physischer Distanz, das in der Interaktion zwischen den Nutzern und der vorhandenen Technologie entsteht.

Die vorliegende Studie untersuchte, inwieweit das Erleben sozialer Präsenz den Erfolg virtuellen Wissensaustausches beeinflusst. Basierend auf der Critical Incident Technique wurden 26 Interviews mit Mitgliedern virtueller Teams geführt. Die Teilnehmenden schilderten Situationen, in denen der virtuelle Wissensaustausch erfolgreich oder nicht erfolgreich war.

Die Auswertung zeigt, dass soziale Präsenz häufiger in erfolgreichen Situationen auftrat. Das weist darauf hin, dass deren Erleben wichtig für erfolgreichen Wissensaustausch ist.

Praktische Relevanz: Soziale Präsenz kann durch Medienreichhaltigkeit, Unterstützung sozialer Prozesse und Beziehungen in virtuellen Teams positiv beeinflusst werden. Aus den Ergebnissen lassen sich somit Implikationen für die Gestaltung, Moderation und Führung virtueller Zusammenarbeit ableiten.

Shared mental models and perceived proximity: a comparative case study

Purpose

The aim of this study is to understand how virtual teams experience perceived proximity. Existing literature suggests that perceived proximity can be achieved through quality communication and increased identification. However, not much is known as to how these two may be achieved within the context of virtual teams.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors address their research question through a comparative case study, with the help of two virtual teams of software developers and the authors adopt a subset from the Constructivist Grounded Theory Method procedures for the purposes of coding to understand the potential explanations regarding the two teams' differences in perceptions of perceived proximity.

Findings

The authors’ study shows that shared mental models support quality communication and team members to identify with the shared values of their team. Quality communication is easier achieved when the team shares a dynamic and evolving understanding of the tools for communication and collaboration. The authors also draw attention to the importance of how work is organised and the influence of the temporal dimension on virtual teams beyond the temporal organisation of collaborative work.

Originality/value

The value of this study is found in its contribution towards the development of a formal connection between perceived proximity and shared mental models, that is empirically grounded, and which holds an explanatory value in addressing how perceived proximity can be supported rather than compromised.