Interdisciplinary collaboration between healthcare professionals and criminal investigation authorities in responses to sexual abuse in Portugal.
- 1Center for Research in Biosciences and Health Technologies, CBIOS, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal. [email protected].
- 2Health Sciences PhD Program, U Alcalá, Madrid, Spain. [email protected].
- 3Center for Research in Biosciences and Health Technologies, CBIOS, Lusófona University, Lisbon, Portugal.
Abstract
Introduction
Effective responses to sexual abuse require coordinated collaboration between healthcare and justice professionals. However, interdisciplinary collaboration across these sectors remains poorly understood. This study examined collaboration between physicians, nurses, and criminal investigators involved in sexual abuse response in Portugal, using Bronstein's Model of Interdisciplinary Collaboration as a conceptual framework.Methods
A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare professionals and criminal investigators working in services involved in sexual abuse response. The questionnaire measured five dimensions of interdisciplinary collaboration: interdependencfe, newly created professional activities, flexibility, collective ownership of objectives, and reflection on the collaborative process. Responses were recorded on a five-point Likert scale (1 = never to 5 = always). Descriptive statistics and group comparisons were used to examine differences between professional groups and by years of professional experience.Results
A total of 297 participants from healthcare and justice sectors completed the survey. Criminal investigators consistently reported higher levels of collaboration across several dimensions of the model, while physicians reported the lowest levels, with nurses occupying an intermediate position. The largest sectoral differences were observed in communication and information exchange, perceptions of professional equality, and indicators of innovation and organizational coordination. In contrast, victim/family engagement showed similarly low endorsement across groups. Less experienced criminal investigators reported higher collaboration scores across several items, particularly those related to innovation, openness, and shared responsibility, whereas more experienced investigators reported perceptions closer to those of healthcare professionals.Conclusion
The findings suggest that collaboration between health and justice professionals is shaped by organizational structures and professional roles. Strengthening coordination may require clearer communication procedures, shared protocols, and institutional spaces for joint reflection and learning to support consistent interdisciplinary practice in sexual abuse response.
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BibTeX
@article{coelho2026interdisciplinary,
title = {{Interdisciplinary collaboration between healthcare professionals and criminal investigation authorities in responses to sexual abuse in Portugal.}},
author = {Nuno Coelho and João Gregório},
journal = {Health \& justice},
year = {2026},
month = jul,
doi = {10.1186/s40352-026-00441-0},
url = {https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928405},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Interdisciplinary collaboration between healthcare professionals and criminal investigation authorities in responses to sexual abuse in Portugal.
AU - Nuno Coelho
AU - João Gregório
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/07/29
JO - Health & justice
DO - 10.1186/s40352-026-00441-0
UR - https://europepmc.org/article/MED/42928405
AB - Introduction Effective responses to sexual abuse require coordinated collaboration between healthcare and justice professionals. However, interdisciplinary collaboration across these sectors remains poorly understood. This study examined collaboration between physicians, nurses, and criminal investigators involved in sexual abuse response in Portugal, using Bronstein's Model of Interdisciplinary Collaboration as a conceptual framework.Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted among healthcare professionals and criminal investigators working in services involved in sexual abuse response. The questionnaire measured five dimensions of interdisciplinary collaboration: interdependencfe, newly created professional activities, flexibility, collective ownership of objectives, and reflection on the collaborative process. Responses were recorded on a five-point Likert scale (1 = never to 5 = always). Descriptive statistics and group comparisons were used to examine differences between professional groups and by years of professional experience.Results A total of 297 participants from healthcare and justice sectors completed the survey. Criminal investigators consistently reported higher levels of collaboration across several dimensions of the model, while physicians reported the lowest levels, with nurses occupying an intermediate position. The largest sectoral differences were observed in communication and information exchange, perceptions of professional equality, and indicators of innovation and organizational coordination. In contrast, victim/family engagement showed similarly low endorsement across groups. Less experienced criminal investigators reported higher collaboration scores across several items, particularly those related to innovation, openness, and shared responsibility, whereas more experienced investigators reported perceptions closer to those of healthcare professionals.Conclusion The findings suggest that collaboration between health and justice professionals is shaped by organizational structures and professional roles. Strengthening coordination may require clearer communication procedures, shared protocols, and institutional spaces for joint reflection and learning to support consistent interdisciplinary practice in sexual abuse response.
SN - 2194-7899
ER -