The Physician Is on Campus: Improving Communication and Collaboration Between Future Nurses and Physicians Through...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Healthcare Simulation
• Interprofessional Communication

Background:

• Effective nurse-physician communication is crucial for patient safety and quality care.
• Current training methods may not adequately prepare students for real-world interprofessional collaboration.
• Simulation offers a controlled environment to practice and improve communication skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of direct physician participation in simulation on nursing students' views of nurse-physician communication.
• To assess if simulation-based learning enhances collaboration perceptions between nursing students and physicians.

Main Methods:

• Fifty-five nursing students were divided into six groups for an eight-hour pediatric simulation.
• Three groups experienced direct physician involvement during simulation.
• Control groups maintained current practice with simulated physician phone contact.

Main Results:

• A statistically significant difference was observed in two key areas of the Nurse Attitudes About Communicating and Collaborating With Physicians tool.
• Students exposed to direct physician participation reported improved perceptions of communication and collaboration.

Conclusions:

• Physician engagement in simulation training positively influences nursing students' perceptions of interprofessional collaboration.
• Simulation-based learning is an effective strategy for enhancing nurse-physician communication and teamwork skills.