The DOI matches its Crossref record; 1 of the 1 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
How Health Care Complexity Leads to Cooperation and Affects the Autonomy of Health Care Professionals
Open accessAbstract
Health professionals increasingly face patients with complex health problems and this pressurizes them to cooperate. The authors have analyzed how the complexity of health care problems relates to two types of cooperation: consultation and multidisciplinary teamwork (MTW). Moreover, they have analyzed the impact of these two types of cooperation on perceived professional autonomy. Two teams were studied, one team dealing with geriatric patients and another treating oncology patients. The authors conducted semi-structured interviews, studied written documents, held informal discussions and observed the teams at work. Consultation was most likely to take place when a patient had multiple problems. However, if these problems were interrelated, i.e. the solution for one problem interfered with solving another, then MTW was favored. The same was true when the available information was equivocal such that there were conflicting interpretations of a problem. How the professionals perceived the relationship between complexity and the need to cooperate depended on their expertise, their occupational background, and their work orientation. Consultation did not affect the professional autonomy of the health care professionals. MTW however did decrease the perceived level of professional autonomy. The extent to which this occurred seemed to depend on the quality of the interpersonal relations within the team. The findings can help in selecting the most appropriate and efficient type of cooperation based on the complexity of a patient's problems. They can also help team leaders to stimulate reflection and feedback processes, and medical trainers to develop competencies among students related to such teamwork behaviors.
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“Molleman et al. (2008) concluded that multidisciplinary teamwork appears to affect clinical and occupational autonomy and leads to an increase in professional accountability towards the multidisciplinary team.”
From Extended home visits can provide multidimensional adapted professional support for parents – an intervention study (2023) · cites this paper as Molleman et al. (2008)
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Sorted by citations
A Theoretical Lens for Revealing the Complexity of Chronic Care
Borgermans, L., De Maeseneer, J., Wollersheim, H., Vrijhoef, B., & Devroey, D. (2013) · Perspectives in Biology and Medicine · doi:10.1353/pbm.2013.0017 · Cited by 16
Larsson, M., Bäckström, C., Larsson, R., Gahm, S., & Wilhsson, M. (2023) · Primary Health Care Research & Development · doi:10.1017/s1463423623000336 · Cited by 11
“Furthermore, Molleman et al. (2008) concluded that multidisciplinary teamwork appears to affect clinical and occupational autonomy and leads to an increase in professional accountability towards the multidisciplinary team.”
Background
Metadata
- Authors
- Molleman, E., Broekhuis, M., Stoffels, R., & Jaspers, F.
- Affiliations
- University of Groningen (NL)
- University Medical Center Groningen (NL)
- Corresponding author
- Molleman, Eric
- ORCID
- Broekhuis, Manda
- Venue
- Health Care Analysis
- Published
- 2008-01-11
- Volume
- 16
- Issue
- 4
- Pages
- 329-341
- ISSN
- 1065-3058 (ISSN-L)
- 1573-3394
- OpenAlex
- W2069577368
- Cited by
- 52
- References
- 1
- Citations by year
- 2026: 1 · 2025: 1 · 2024: 2 · 2023: 6 · 2022: 5 · 2021: 5 · 2020: 2 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 2 · 2017: 4 · 2016: 2 · 2015: 1 · 2014: 4 · 2013: 4 · 2012: 4
- FWCI
- 3.86
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- hybrid
- doi.org
- Licence
- cc-by-nc
- Locations
- Health Care Analysis (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc)
- DigitalGeorgetown (Georgetown University Library) (submittedVersion)
- University of Groningen research database (University of Groningen / Centre for Information Technology) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- ZonMw
- Nederlandse Organisatie voor Wetenschappelijk Onderzoek
- Topics
- Health Sciences › Health Professions › General Health Professions › Interprofessional Education and Collaboration
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Team Dynamics and Performance
- Health Sciences › Medicine › Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health › Healthcare Systems and Technology
- Keywords
- health care complexity, professional autonomy, multidisciplinary teamwork, consultation, interprofessional collaboration, elderly patients, cancer patients, team leadership, medical education, teamwork skills
- MeSH terms
- Cooperative Behavior, Delivery of Health Care, Humans, Interprofessional Relations, Models, Theoretical, Patient Acceptance of Health Care, Social Responsibility, Professional Autonomy
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- CoChat. (2026). Citation check: How Health Care Complexity Leads to Cooperation and Affects the Autonomy of Health Care Professionals. https://app.cochat.ai/papers/10.1007/s10728-007-0080-6
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- Molleman, E., Broekhuis, M., Stoffels, R., & Jaspers, F. (2008). How Health Care Complexity Leads to Cooperation and Affects the Autonomy of Health Care Professionals. Health Care Analysis. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10728-007-0080-6
