Interdisciplinary collaboration in the treatment of alcohol use disorders in a general hospital department: a mixed-method study

Background

In somatic health care settings, interdisciplinary collaborations (where various disciplines work coordinated and interdependently toward shared goals) are considered to yield higher team effectiveness than multidisciplinary approaches (where various disciplines work in parallel within their professional boundaries). Nonetheless, research on multidisciplinary techniques for the treatment of alcohol use disorder (AUD) in hospitalised patients is limited since these approaches are relatively uncommon. The purpose of this study is to evaluate a novel multidisciplinary AUD treatment project at a general hospital department by

1) determining which network partners are participating and to what extent, and

2) investigating how network partners perceived the interdisciplinary cooperation.

Methods

A mixed-methods study was carried out, using:

1) measurements of contact frequency and proximity in a social network analysis and

2) semi-structured interviews that were thematically examined. Respondents were originally recruited by the project leader of an interdisciplinary partnership in a general hospital department.

Results

The social network research revealed 16 network partners, including a 'core' network of five essential network partners from both inside and outside the hospital. The project leader was an essential key figure in the network, and the resident gastroenterologist appeared to have a weak link within the network. Closeness was felt among network partners regardless of frequency of contact, although this was notably true for the 'core' group, which (nearly) always comprised of the same network partners who attended biweekly meetings. Data from interviews revealed that the existence of the 'core' network partners was deemed critical for effective collaboration. Respondents sought information regarding the efficacy of the partnerships, as well as a single organised protocol with working processes, duties, and agreements on information exchange and feedback.

Conclusions

The concept of this interdisciplinary partnership has the potential to improve the treatment of hospital patients with AUD and was favourably rated by the network partners engaged. Interdisciplinary partnerships may be a significant answer for increasing treatment rates of patients with AUD and should be used on a broader scale in hospitals. It is necessary to do research on the efficiency of multidisciplinary cooperation in the treatment of hospitalised patients with AUD.