Improving nurse-physician teamwork through interprofessional bedside rounding.

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Care Improvement
• Interprofessional Collaboration

Background:

• Suboptimal perceptions of physician-nurse teamwork negatively impact patient satisfaction and outcomes.
• Effective teamwork between physicians and nurses is crucial for quality healthcare delivery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To enhance nurse-physician teamwork within a general medicine inpatient teaching unit.
• To increase face-to-face communication via interprofessional bedside rounds.

Main Methods:

• Physicians and nurses participated in bedside rounding on four general medicine teams.
• A checklist was developed and used during rounds to address key patient care issues.
• The Safety Attitudes Questionnaire (SAQ) assessed teamwork perceptions before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• 58% participation rate in bedside rounds.
• Nurses initially reported lower teamwork ratings than physicians, but perceptions improved post-intervention.
• Significant improvements were noted in nurses' ability to speak up and residents' perception of nurse input.

Conclusions:

• Interprofessional bedside rounding effectively improves physician-nurse teamwork perceptions.
• Increased face-to-face communication at the bedside enhances collaboration and communication between nurses and physicians.