Nurse-physician communication - An integrated review

Area of Science:

• Healthcare communication
• Nursing and medical practice
• Interprofessional collaboration

Background:

• Persistent challenges in nurse-physician communication since 1967 impact patient safety.
• Ineffective communication leads to treatment delays and potential patient harm.
• Existing evidence on communication factors and interventions is inconsistent.

Purpose of the Study:

• To comprehensively review evidence on factors influencing nurse-physician communication.
• To examine interventions designed to enhance nurse-physician communication.

Main Methods:

• Integrative review following a five-stage process.
• Searched five databases (CINAHL, MEDLINE, PubMed, Science Direct, Scopus) from 2005-2016.
• Included 22 studies focusing on nurse-physician communication.

Main Results:

• Four key themes emerged: communication styles, facilitators, barriers, and interventions.
• Nurse-physician communication remains largely ineffective.
• Current interventions inadequately address interprofessional communication skills.

Conclusions:

• Disparate training backgrounds contribute to differing communication views, hindering intervention effectiveness.
• Cross-training and interprofessional education are crucial for aligning communication skills.
• Further research and organizational/cultural changes are necessary to improve nurse-physician communication.