Nurses And Physicians Must Collaborate To Improve Medical-Surgical Patient Care

Main Category: Nursing / Midwifery
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice
Article Date: 07 Mar 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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As nurses continue to leave the profession, studies have found that conflict with physicians is one stressor in the work environment. When conflict resolution and collaborative environments exist, recruitment and retention are likely to increase and patient outcomes improve. A study in the February 2008 issue of MEDSURG Nursing measured nurses' and physicians' perceptions of their collaborative behavior on medical-surgical units.

Gina Aya Nelson and co-authors found nurses feel they lack the assertiveness to communicate their opinions and contributions when interacting with physicians, and the authors say that until these issues are resolved, nurses may not enjoy the collaborative relationships they would like with physicians. According to the authors, physicians perceive they value and use input from nurses and are comfortable with the physician-nurse team. The two groups differ on this point, say the authors, as nurses did not share this perception.

Nelson and co-authors suggest nurses receive assertiveness training to improve their assertiveness skills and self-esteem. They recommend further studies to determine if their results can be generalized.

"Nurse-Physician Collaboration on Medical-Surgical Units"
Gina Aya Nelson, MSN, RN; Major L. King, PhD, RN, CNS; Stephanie Brodine, MD
MEDSURG Nursing - February 2008; http://www.medsurgnursing.net

MEDSURG Nursing, The Journal of Adult Health, is the official journal of the Academy of Medical-Surgical Nurses (AMSN). The journal provides its readers with the multidisciplinary information they need to provide clinically excellent patient care and to enhance their nursing practice. MEDSURG Nursing supports adult health/medical-surgical nurses as they strive for excellence in patient care, private practice, and outpatient health care settings in urban, suburban, and rural locations. Each peer-reviewed issue of MEDSURG Nursing features a comprehensive discussion and description of today's clinical issues in adult health/medical-surgical nursing. MEDSURG Nursing and AMSN are committed to the advancement of adult health/medical-surgical nursing practice. The journal is published six times a year.

http://www.medsurgnursing.net