The moderating effect of educational and clinical geriatric knowledge levels on nurses’ perception of interprofessional collaboration with physicians

Effective nurse-physician interprofessional collaboration (IPC) can improve geriatric healthcare. While many barriers and facilitators have been identified, the literature lacks consensus. We hypothesize that nurses’ educational and knowledge levels may affect their perceptions of IPC. This cross-sectional study included 117 acute-care hospital Registered Nurses. A questionnaire examined nurses’ knowledge level, perceptions of IPC, demographic and educational characteristics. Data were analyzed using multivariate regression. An interaction effect was found whereby nurses’ education level modified the relationship between knowledge and IPC. Among less educated nurses increased knowledge was associated with higher IPC, but among the most-educated nurses, higher knowledge was associated with lower IPC scores. The findings suggest that relationships between nurses’ education level, knowledge, and perceived IPC may be more complex than anticipated. Higher education may alter IPC expectations, particularly in more hierarchal or complex patient care environments. Understanding this relationship may facilitate improvements to IPC leading to improved geriatric care.