Identifying and Comparing Communication Challenges Between Nurses and Resident Physicians

Effective healthcare delivery involves coordinated communication between healthcare team members.

This study compares challenges in communication between nurses and residents.

This is a single-centered survey study in which 58 Nurses and 54 Internal Medicine residents at Temple University Hospital anonymously completed a 14-item questionnaire between August 2023 and March, 2024.

Approximately 42% (54/128) residents participated. When assessing overall satisfaction, residents expressed lower satisfaction compared to nurses (57% vs 86%; p < 0.001). Additionally, residents find nursing documentation less helpful than nurses do vice versa (5% vs 74%; p < 0.0001). Residents more often than nurses ask the other for clarifications (85% vs 65%; p < 0.05). Interesting, 67% of nurses reported care delays due to inadequate coordination while 100% of residents reported delays (p < 0.0001). Residents reported greater difficulties in reaching the correct nurse than nurses in reaching the correct resident (91% vs 53%; p < 0.0001) and they also encountered both higher frustration and confusion in communication (93% vs 63%; p < 0.001 and 74% vs 52%; p < 0.05, respectively). Residents are also more likely to perceive nurses as not understanding the plan of the day (81% vs 63%; p < 0.05). On the other hand, both felt respected and heard (p = 0.10; p = 0.49) and satisfied with overall coordination and responsiveness (p = 0.32; p = 0.34). The study highlights notable challenges between nurses and residents, such as documentation and coordination. Free responses provided insight into barriers preventing effective communications and are categorized into "Responsiveness", "System-based", "Directedness", and "Respect".

Future research should focus on addressing these differences to foster better teamwork and understanding.