Objective: To explore how communication is perceived and care is negotiated amongst IA healthcare teams by drawing on the perspectives of each team member.
Method: This analysis drew on data from an ongoing three-year study exploring team-based IA care. We interviewed 11 participants including two men with IA and their family care providers and healthcare providers. We used a three-staged analytic process and integrated broad tenets of social network theory to understand the relational dimensions of team members experiences.
Result: Analysis revealed three themes regarding communication and care: (1) seeking/sharing information, (2) striving to coordinate unified care, and (3) providing patients a voice.
Discussion: This study emphasizes the importance of understanding team dynamics beyond the dyad of patient and care provider. Negotiating power and decision-making in IA care is a dynamic process involving shifting levels of responsibility amongst a care team. Communication-based strategies that extend dyadic interactions may enhance teamwork and health outcomes in chronic conditions.
Keywords: Teamwork; communication; inflammatory arthritis; interprofessional collaboration; social network theory.