Health Workers’ Perceptions of Communication and Interprofessional Collaboration in Digital Primary Healthcare: A Cross-Sectional Study

Mera Delima; Musheer A. Aljaberi; Redigor III Dioso

doi:10.58418/ijni.v4i2.170

Authors

Mera Delima Lincoln University College, Malaysia
Musheer A. Aljaberi Rotterdam University of Applied Sciences, Netherlands
Redigor III Dioso Lincoln University College, Malaysia

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.58418/ijni.v4i2.170

Keywords:

Digital Health Care, Interprofessional Collaboration, Effective Communication, Health Workers

Abstract

Interprofessional collaboration is a pivotal strategy for delivering high quality health services during the current global digital transformation. Despite its critical importance, barriers such as professional dominance and frequent miscommunication continue to undermine collaborative efforts in clinical settings. This study analyzed the relationship and association between healthcare workers’ perceptions of effective communication and the actual implementation of interprofessional collaboration within digital health practices. A descriptive analytic cross sectional design was employed using total population sampling of 152 healthcare professionals at a Primary Healthcare Center. Data were gathered through validated questionnaires focusing on digital adaptation and analyzed using Chi-Square tests and Odds Ratio analysis. Findings revealed that 55.3 percent of respondents perceived communication as effective and rated collaboration as good. A significant association was identified (p=0.011) with an Odds Ratio of 7.680. This indicates that healthcare workers with positive communication perceptions are 7.68 times more likely to engage in high quality collaboration. Key challenges identified include hierarchical dominance, instruction miscommunication, and limited team based digital discussion platforms. Effectively, communication serves as the fundamental pillar of coordination in digital health environments. While digital tools such as telemedicine and internal messaging expedite information exchange, success depends on professional communication standards and nursing leadership as care coordinators. Finally, this research contributes a comprehensive and strategic framework emphasizing that nursing leadership as digital mediators is essential for bridging communication gaps, reducing potential clinical errors, and ensuring patient safety in the global Health 5.0 era.

References

AbdulRaheem, Y. (2023). Unveiling the Significance and Challenges of Integrating Prevention Levels in Healthcare Practice. Journal of Primary Care & Community Health, 14. https://doi.org/10.1177/21501319231186500

Agius, S., Cassar, V., Bezzina, F., & Topham, L. (2025). Leveraging digital technologies to enhance patient safety. Health and Technology, 15(6), 1053–1063. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12553-025-01001-6

Al-Twigey, M., & AL-Fayyadh, S. (2024). Inter-professional Team Collaboration among Health Care Team Members in Critical Care Units: Targeting Cooperating, Coordinating, and Partnership in Najaf Governorate, Iraq. Malaysian Journal of Nursing, 16(Suppl 1), 68–78. https://doi.org/10.31674/mjn.2024.v16isupp1.007

Bida, M. N., Mosito, S. M., Miya, T. V., Demetriou, D., Blenman, K. R. M., & Dlamini, Z. (2023). Transformation of the Healthcare Ecosystem in the Era of Society 5.0. In Z. Dlamini (Ed.), Society 5.0 and Next Generation Healthcare: Patient-Focused and Technology-Assisted Precision Therapies (pp. 223–248). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-36461-7_10

Borycki, E. M., & Kushniruk, A. W. (2022). Reinventing virtual care: Bridging the healthcare system and citizen silos to create an integrated future. Healthcare Management Forum, 35(3), 135–139. https://doi.org/10.1177/08404704211062575

Bouton, C., Journeaux, M., Jourdain, M., Angibaud, M., Huon, J.-F., & Rat, C. (2023). Interprofessional collaboration in primary care: what effect on patient health? A systematic literature review. BMC Primary Care, 24(1), 253. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-023-02189-0

Charumbira, M. Y., Kaseke, F., Conradie, T., Berner, K., & Louw, Q. A. (2024). A qualitative study on rehabilitation services at primary health care: insights from primary health care stakeholders in low-resource contexts. BMC Health Services Research, 24(1), 1272. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-024-11748-9

Dellafiore, F., Guardamagna, L., Haoufadi, S., Cicognani, A., De Mola, A., Mazzone, B., Occhini, G., Brusini, A., & Artioli, G. (2025). Interprofessional Collaboration in Primary Healthcare: A Qualitative Study of General Practitioners’ and Family and Community Nurses’ Perspectives in Italy. Healthcare, 13(21), 2794. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13212794

Dib, K., & Belrhiti, Z. (2025). Unpacking the black box of interprofessional collaboration within healthcare networks: a scoping review. BMJ Open, 15(6), e101702. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2025-101702

Elliot, V., Kosteniuk, J., Minish, D. P., Cameron, C., O’Connell, M. E., & Morgan, D. (2025). A scoping review of innovations that promote interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in primary care for older adults living with age-related chronic disease in rural areas. PLOS One, 20(9), e0331327. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0331327

Endalamaw, A., Khatri, R. B., Erku, D., Zewdie, A., Wolka, E., Nigatu, F., & Assefa, Y. (2024). Barriers and strategies for primary health care workforce development: synthesis of evidence. BMC Primary Care, 25(1), 99. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-024-02336-1

Erku, D., Khatri, R., Endalamaw, A., Wolka, E., Nigatu, F., Zewdie, A., & Assefa, Y. (2023). Digital Health Interventions to Improve Access to and Quality of Primary Health Care Services: A Scoping Review. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(19), 6854. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20196854

Ferreira, J. C., Elvas, L. B., Correia, R., & Mascarenhas, M. (2025). Empowering Health Professionals with Digital Skills to Improve Patient Care and Daily Workflows. Healthcare, 13(3), 329. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare13030329

Fox, S., McAllum, K., & Ginoux, L. (2024). Team Care for the Care Team: A Scoping Review of the Relational Dimensions of Collaboration in Healthcare Contexts. Health Communication, 39(5), 960–971. https://doi.org/10.1080/10410236.2023.2198673

Gass, B., McFall, L., Brock, J., Li, J., LaRocca, C., & Williams, M. V. (2023). Perspectives of acute, post-acute, physician and community support providers on community collaborative efforts to improve transitions of care. Healthcare, 11(1), 100673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.hjdsi.2022.100673

Geese, F., & Schmitt, K.-U. (2023). Interprofessional Collaboration in Complex Patient Care Transition: A Qualitative Multi-Perspective Analysis. Healthcare, 11(3), 359. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11030359

Glenton, C., Paulsen, E., Agarwal, S., Gopinathan, U., Johansen, M., Kyaddondo, D., Munabi-Babigumira, S., Nabukenya, J., Nakityo, I., Namaganda, R., Namitala, J., Neumark, T., Nsangi, A., Pakenham-Walsh, N. M., Rashidian, A., Royston, G., Sewankambo, N., Tamrat, T., & Lewin, S. (2024). Healthcare workers’ informal uses of mobile phones and other mobile devices to support their work: a qualitative evidence synthesis. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 2024(8). https://doi.org/10.1002/14651858.CD015705.pub2

Grant, A., Kontak, J., Jeffers, E., Lawson, B., MacKenzie, A., Burge, F., Boulos, L., Lackie, K., Marshall, E. G., Mireault, A., Philpott, S., Sampalli, T., Sheppard-LeMoine, D., & Martin-Misener, R. (2024). Barriers and enablers to implementing interprofessional primary care teams: a narrative review of the literature using the consolidated framework for implementation research. BMC Primary Care, 25(1), 25. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-023-02240-0

Hald, A. N., Bech, M., & Burau, V. (2021). Conditions for successful interprofessional collaboration in integrated care – Lessons from a primary care setting in Denmark. Health Policy, 125(4), 474–481. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.01.007

Ho, C. J., Khalid, H., Skead, K., & Wong, J. (2022). The politics of universal health coverage. The Lancet, 399(10340), 2066–2074. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(22)00585-2

Hofmeister, M. (2024). Effective Communication. In Clinical Laboratory Management (pp. 123–134). Wiley. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781683673941.ch8

Jensen, R. A. A., Jonasson, C., Gartmeier, M., & Parviainen, J. (2023). Learning from errors in digital patient communication: professionals’ enactment of negative knowledge and digital ignorance in the workplace. Journal of Workplace Learning, 35(5), 432–449. https://doi.org/10.1108/JWL-12-2022-0177

Khan, M. A., Latif, K. F., Shahid, S., & Shah, S. A. (2024). Understanding knowledge leadership in improving team outcomes in the health sector: a Covid-19 study. Business Process Management Journal, 30(1), 63–83. https://doi.org/10.1108/BPMJ-08-2022-0386

Khatri, R., Endalamaw, A., Erku, D., Wolka, E., Nigatu, F., Zewdie, A., & Assefa, Y. (2023). Continuity and care coordination of primary health care: a scoping review. BMC Health Services Research, 23(1), 750. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-023-09718-8

Knop, M., Mueller, M., Kaiser, S., & Rester, C. (2024). The impact of digital technology use on nurses’ professional identity and relations of power: a literature review. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 80(11), 4346–4360. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.16178

Kumpunen, S., Webb, E., Permanand, G., ZHELEZNYAKOV, E., Edwards, N., van Ginneken, E., & Jakab, M. (2022). Transformations in the landscape of primary health care during COVID-19: Themes from the European region. Health Policy, 126(5), 391–397. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.healthpol.2021.08.002

L. Gleeson, L., O’Brien, G. L., O’Mahony, D., & Byrne, S. (2023). Interprofessional communication in the hospital setting : a systematic review of the qualitative literature. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 37(2), 203–213. https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2022.2028746

Latif, Z., Makuvire, T., Feder, S. L., Crocker, J., Quintero Pinzon, P., & Warraich, H. J. (2022). Forgotten in the crowd: A qualitative study of medical interpreters’ role in medical teams. Journal of Hospital Medicine, 17(9), 719–725. https://doi.org/10.1002/jhm.12925

Laukka, E., Hammarén, M., Pölkki, T., & Kanste, O. (2023). Hospital nurse leaders’ experiences with digital technologies: A qualitative descriptive study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 79(1), 297–308. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.15481

Li, C., Murad, M., & Awais‐E‐Yazdan, M. (2023). The impact of leadership styles on employee safety behaviour among Chinese healthcare workers: The moderating role of cooperation facilitation. The International Journal of Health Planning and Management, 38(5), 1377–1395. https://doi.org/10.1002/hpm.3666

Mackie, B. R., Mitchell, M., & Schults, J. (2021). Application of the READY framework supports effective communication between health care providers and family members in intensive care. Australian Critical Care, 34(3), 296–299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.aucc.2020.07.010

Meneses-La-Riva, M. E., Fernández-Bedoya, V. H., Suyo-Vega, J. A., Ocupa-Cabrera, H. G., Grijalva-Salazar, R. V., & Ocupa-Meneses, G. di D. (2025). Enhancing Healthcare Efficiency: The Relationship Between Effective Communication and Teamwork Among Nurses in Peru. Nursing Reports, 15(2), 59. https://doi.org/10.3390/nursrep15020059

Moncatar, T. R. T., Nakamura, K., Siongco, K. L. L., Seino, K., Carlson, R., Canila, C. C., Javier, R. S., & Lorenzo, F. M. E. (2021). Interprofessional collaboration and barriers among health and social workers caring for older adults: a Philippine case study. Human Resources for Health, 19(1), 52. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12960-021-00568-1

Montgomery, A., Lainidi, O., & Georganta, K. (2024). Why Talking Is Not Cheap: Adverse Events and Informal Communication. Healthcare, 12(6), 635. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare12060635

Nampewo, Z., Mike, J. H., & Wolff, J. (2022). Respecting, protecting and fulfilling the human right to health. International Journal for Equity in Health, 21(1), 36. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12939-022-01634-3

Nie, J. X., Heidebrecht, C., Zettler, A., Pearce, J., Cunha, R., Quan, S., Mansfield, E., & Tang, T. (2023). The Perceived Ease of Use and Perceived Usefulness of a Web-Based Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration Platform in the Hospital Setting: Interview Study With Health Care Providers. JMIR Human Factors, 10, e39051. https://doi.org/10.2196/39051

Nikou, S., De Reuver, M., & Mahboob Kanafi, M. (2022). Workplace literacy skills—how information and digital literacy affect adoption of digital technology. Journal of Documentation, 78(7), 371–391. https://doi.org/10.1108/JD-12-2021-0241

Nordmann, K., Sauter, S., Möbius-Lerch, P., Redlich, M.-C., Schaller, M., & Fischer, F. (2023). Conceptualizing Interprofessional Digital Communication and Collaboration in Health Care: Protocol for a Scoping Review. JMIR Research Protocols, 12, e45179. https://doi.org/10.2196/45179

Norful, A. A., He, Y., Rosenfeld, A., Abraham, C. M., & Chang, B. (2022). Revisiting Provider Communication to Support Team Cohesiveness: Implications for Practice, Provider Burnout, and Technology Application in Primary Care Settings. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 2022(1). https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/9236681

Noyes, A. L. (2022). Navigating the Hierarchy: Communicating Power Relationships in Collaborative Health Care Groups. Management Communication Quarterly, 36(1), 62–91. https://doi.org/10.1177/08933189211025737

Ominyi, J., Agom, D. A., & Beryl, N. A. (2025). Nursing Autonomy and Evidence‐Based Practice in Acute Care: Navigating Power and Promoting Collaboration. Nursing Forum, 2025(1). https://doi.org/10.1155/nuf/9343933

Orchard, C., Pederson, L. L., Read, E., Mahler, C., & Laschinger, H. (2018). Assessment of Interprofessional Team Collaboration Scale (AITCS): Further Testing and Instrument Revision. Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions, 38(1), 11–18. https://doi.org/10.1097/CEH.0000000000000193

Petre, I., Barna, F., Gurgus, D., Tomescu, L. C., Apostol, A., Petre, I., Furau, C., Năchescu, M. L., & Bordianu, A. (2023). Analysis of the Healthcare System in Romania: A Brief Review. Healthcare, 11(14), 2069. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare11142069

Qudrat-Ullah, H. (2025). Group Decision-Making and Team Collaboration. In H. Qudrat-Ullah (Ed.), Mastering Decision-Making in Business and Personal Life: An Interdisciplinary Perspective on Making Better Choices (pp. 313–362). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-81068-8_10

Robertson, S. T., Rosbergen, I. C. M., Burton-Jones, A., Grimley, R. S., & Brauer, S. G. (2022). The Effect of the Electronic Health Record on Interprofessional Practice: A Systematic Review. Applied Clinical Informatics, 13(03), 541–559. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0042-1748855

Saif‐Ur‐Rahman, K., Islam, M. S., Alaboson, J., Ola, O., Hasan, I., Islam, N., Mainali, S., Martina, T., Silenga, E., Muyangana, M., & Joarder, T. (2023). Artificial intelligence and digital health in improving primary health care service delivery in LMICs: A systematic review. Journal of Evidence-Based Medicine, 16(3), 303–320. https://doi.org/10.1111/jebm.12547

Schilling, S., Armaou, M., Morrison, Z., Carding, P., Bricknell, M., & Connelly, V. (2022). Understanding teamwork in rapidly deployed interprofessional teams in intensive and acute care: A systematic review of reviews. PLoS ONE, 17(8 August), 1–22. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0272942

Stucky, C. H., Wymer, J. A., & House, S. (2022). Nurse Leaders: Transforming Interprofessional Relationships to Bridge Healthcare Quality and Safety. Nurse Leader, 20(4), 375–380. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2021.12.003

Vermeir, P., Vandijck, D., Degroote, S., Peleman, R., Verhaeghe, R., Mortier, E., Hallaert, G., Van Daele, S., Buylaert, W., & Vogelaers, D. (2015). Communication in healthcare: a narrative review of the literature and practical recommendations. International Journal of Clinical Practice, 69(11), 1257–1267. https://doi.org/10.1111/ijcp.12686

Wang, T., Tan, J.-Y. (Benjamin), Liu, X.-L., & Zhao, I. (2023). Barriers and enablers to implementing clinical practice guidelines in primary care: an overview of systematic reviews. BMJ Open, 13(1), e062158. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2022-062158

Wu, Y., Zhang, Z., Zhao, N., Yan, Y., Zhao, L., Song, Q., Ma, R., Li, C., Li, J., Liu, S., Bi, X., & Zhang, Z. (2022). Primary health care in China: A decade of development after the 2009 health care reform. Health Care Science, 1(3), 146–159. https://doi.org/10.1002/hcs2.14

Wymer, J. A., Weberg, D. R., Stucky, C. H., & Allbaugh, N. N. (2023). Human-Centered Design: Principles for Successful Leadership Across Health Care Teams and Technology. Nurse Leader, 21(1), 93–98. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mnl.2022.11.004

Yousefi, F., Dehnavieh, R., Laberge, M., Gagnon, M.-P., Ghaemi, M. M., Nadali, M., & Azizi, N. (2025). Opportunities, challenges, and requirements for Artificial Intelligence (AI) implementation in Primary Health Care (PHC): a systematic review. BMC Primary Care, 26(1), 196. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12875-025-02785-2