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AIMS: The aim of this study was to measure the degree of similarity of attitudes on collaboration between nurses and junior doctors (known as residents in the United States) in the ICU.

BACKGROUND: Existing research shows that nurses and physicians view the amount of teamwork they experience in the ICU differently though the attitudes of junior doctors and critical care nurses on collaboration remain unknown.

METHODS: Thirty-one nurses and 46 junior doctors completed a modified version of the Baggs Collaboration and Satisfaction about Care Decisions instrument during 2006-2007 in a 24 bed medical/surgical ICU in the northeastern United States. Score responses of nurses and junior doctors were compared with the Wilcoxon (Mann-Whitney) rank-sum test.

RESULTS/FINDINGS: Nurses consistently gave more negative responses on every survey question than junior doctors. While nurses said that the amount of collaboration was inadequate, junior doctors were satisfied and views between groups were most divergent (P < 0.01) on questions about overall satisfaction with team decisions.

CONCLUSIONS: Nurses and junior doctors held very different views on the amount of collaborative teamwork that occurs in the ICU. Junior doctors' views are similar to those of more experienced physicians observed in previous studies.

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