Healthcare professionals' readiness for an interprofessional orthogeriatric unit: A cross-sectional survey

Professionals´ readiness for change is a precursor to successful implementation of organizational changes. An assessment of readiness for change can set the stage for the implementation by providing information regarding staff members’ beliefs and attitudes prior to an organizational change.
We conducted a cross-sectional survey to assess readiness for change (N=223 employees) in a hospital on the verge of implementing an interprofessional, co-managed, orthogeriatric unit. Staff members from three departments with tasks related to orthogeriatric patients were invited to answer a web-based questionnaire.
Fully completed questionnaires were returned by 113 respondents (50.7%). Overall, 77.9% of the respondents indicated that they had either “excellent knowledge” or “some knowledge” of orthogeriatric care. Furthermore, 87.6% expressed their “full support” or “support” to the creation of the orthogeriatric unit and 71.7% stated that it would “significantly promote the interdisciplinary approach” of their department. Eliciting the respondents’ readiness for change, we found that 88.5% indicated a belief that orthogeriatric care would match the hospital’s need for change, and that it would furthermore have a positive effect on patient-perceived quality (88.5%) and clinical quality (81.4%).
Our survey documents that health care professionals are confident that interprofessional collaboration will be promoted by the implementation of orthogeriatric care. Their concerns pertained to different practical aspects; those voiced by the nursing staff related to work strain and the interests of their professional group whereas the physicians’ reservations concentrated on the planning of the change.
The exploration of readiness for organizational change among health care professionals offers managers an understanding of their motivations and concerns and provides a useful tool in for the planning and implementation of a new interprofessional collaboration model. Our results contribute to the limited body of research into the implementation of interprofessional collaboration models.