Cooperation and job satisfaction in psychiatric nursing

Purpose: Empirical studies of nursing in psychiatry rarely consider the collaboration between nurses and doctors. Which variables determine the quality of the cooperation between nurses and doctors? Methods: In 1992 and 1997, all nurses of a psychiatric hospital were interrogated by means of questionnaire (FAPP) in order to measure the quality of collaboration. Results: In spite of major changes in the hospital management and higher work-load assessment by the nurses concerning the collaboration with doctors and with other nurses, the quality of team-work and participating in treatment decisions, was more positive in 1997. Nurses with a ,,negative" collaboration with doctors, also have difficulties to collaborate with other nurses. This finding did not depend on gender, age or length of professional career. Conclusion: All institutional provisions that improve the cooperation, the competence, the responsibility, and the ward-atmosphere, also ameliorate the cooperation with other occupational groups in the hospital.