Korean nurses' perception and performance on communication with physicians in clinical deterioration

Area of Science:

• Nursing and Healthcare Communication
• Patient Safety
• Clinical Deterioration Management

Background:

• Effective interprofessional communication between nurses and physicians is critical for timely and accurate responses during clinical deterioration.
• Understanding nurses' perceptions and performance in these communication scenarios is essential for enhancing patient safety protocols.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine ward nurses' perceptions of their communication with physicians during clinical deterioration.
• To assess nurses' self-reported performance in communicating with physicians in clinical deterioration situations.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive research design was employed.
• A survey was administered to 250 ward nurses across two tertiary hospitals.

Main Results:

• Nurses perceived timeliness as the highest communication attribute, followed by accuracy, understanding, satisfaction, and openness.
• Nurses' self-reported performance was highest in preparation, followed by situation, background, assessment, and recommendation (SBARR).
• Areas for improvement include openness, accuracy, satisfaction, mutual understanding, assessment, and recommendation components of communication.

Conclusions:

• Proactive strategies are needed to enhance communication openness, accuracy, satisfaction, and mutual understanding between nurses and physicians to ensure patient safety.
• Improving nurses' performance in the assessment and recommendation phases of communication is recommended.
• Developing and implementing joint education programs for nurses and physicians can foster better understanding and trust in interprofessional communication.