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What impact do good working relationships have on patient safety?


August 5, 2014

To what extent do good working relationships among health-care providers impact patient safety? This is the question that Dr. Ginette Rodger set out to answer in a new study published in the International Journal for Quality in Health Care. In the study, Dr. Rodger and her team looked at whether poor relationships among health professionals are preventing advances in patient safety. They analyzed data collected to evaluate the Interprofessional Model of Patient Care (IPMPC) at The Ottawa Hospital, and 13 health professionals at The Ottawa Hospital – including doctors, nurses, physiotherapists and others – completed anonymous surveys concerning interpersonal issues such as respect, collaboration, conflict and an environment conducive to patient safety. The results were that collaboration and respect were indeed significant predictors of a good patient safety climate.

About the Ottawa Hospital Research Institute
The Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) is the research arm of The Ottawa Hospital and is an affiliated institute of the University of Ottawa, closely associated with the university’s Faculties of Medicine and Health Sciences. OHRI includes more than 1,700 scientists, clinical investigators, graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and staff conducting research to improve the understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of human disease.

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