Nurses and physicians may prevent communication breakdowns that lead to patient care mistakes by reviewing and reflecting on video recordings of their interactions with each other, a small pilot study published in BMJ Quality and Safety found.
Ann Arbor-based University of Michigan researchers looked at what may cause communication failures during patient care by recording interactions among nurses and physicians at Michigan Medicine.
The nurses and physicians watched and commented on the clips separately, and those comments were put in the video. Both parties then watched the clip together.
The researchers found several themes to help explain the poor communication, and both nurses and physicians improved their communication styles, said study author Milisa Manojlovich, PhD, RN.
Hospital hierarchy that puts nurses at a power disadvantage and leaves them afraid to speak the truth to physicians was one barrier to good communication, Dr. Manojlovich said.
The study's video recordings showed nurses didn't directly request what they wanted or express their needs. This indirect communication confused physicians, who often ignored nurses' requests and moved on as opposed to asking them to clarify.
Since physicians and nurses approach patient care from significantly different angles, achieving a mutual understanding is challenging, the researchers said.
In good communication, the body language of physicians and nurses mirrored the other, while body language was out of sync in strained relationships, the study found.
"The only way you can become aware of your habits is by watching yourself," Dr. Manojlovich said.
The interactions were positive overall in that there was no contention between physicians and nurses, but the findings show room for improvement.
Dr. Manojlovich aims to record a larger group and use the videos as training tools for better communication.