Promoting Nurse and Physician Collaboration Through Communication

picture of a nurse and a doctor together

Doctors and Nurses Working Together

Effective communication between doctors and nurses is very important. Furthermore, being able to communicate and collaborate with each other on the medical team is part of comprehensive patient care. The medical team has two main actors who heavily interact in the treatment of the patient, and these are the physician and the nurse. When communication and collaboration are effective, the patient's health benefits greatly. Nurses are considered to be the ones who are most in contact with the patient, the ones who know the patient's medical history in detail and perfection. In addition, their unique rapport and understanding of the patient make their point of view both unique and valuable.

Often, nurses view this collaboration in the healthcare setting from a cooperative, consulting, and mutually supportive perspective, whereas many physicians view this collaboration as a way of giving orders to nurses and having them follow their strict instructions, often without taking into account their opinions or experience regarding the patient.

This collaboration is of enormous importance in the medical field because the team treating a patient needs to look for holistic ways to achieve the best possible outcomes for the patient's health. Because of this, good relationships between nurses and physicians should be promoted in all work environments, as well as highlighting the importance that the nurses' work in conjunction with the physician's work has on the patient's overall health.

Alignment of Nurses and Physicians’ Attitudes

Having established that collaboration between nurses and doctors is highly important to improve the outcome for patients, it is also important to understand that many techniques and tips can be implemented to improve this communication, for example:

  • Establish mutual respect in the relationship, be able to set the rules from the beginning and be clear about each other's roles.
  • Always share all information relevant to the patient's state of health, and do not keep anything from other members of the team, nor look for individual valuation or rewards when carrying out treatments.
  • Have pre-established processes for conflict resolution in the workspace.
  • Think about the patient's well-being, rather than oneself.
  • Physicians should remember that respecting, listening to, and addressing the opinions of nurses, as well as treating their opinions with the value they deserve, is a way to enhance this collaboration and teamwork.
  • To value one's own opinions and others’ opinions as an important part of holistic treatment.

Nurses should remember that the jobs they have are immensely noble and important and that performing their work with selflessness and empathy for others will lead to improved relationships with the rest of the healthcare team. Furthermore, it is important not to forget that nurses have a lot of information about the patient, given that they interact constantly with the patient, and that represents an advantage when establishing treatments or plans together with the medical team. In addition, they should never feel that their opinion has no value, and they should keep in mind that the nursing team is the reason for the patient's high or low satisfaction affecting the quality of the hospital's care service. Nurse communication is one of the greatest tools for healing a patient. That's why the nursing team must remain united in collaboration with physicians, and slowly but surely earn their place.

The recent news is that, according to a study published in advances in medical education and practice, the recent covid-19 pandemic has led to greater collaboration and understanding between physicians and nurses. In general, both sides were positive toward collaboration between physicians and nurses and had similar views on what collaboration means to them.

Many team development strategies are being implemented to improve this important relationship, and some professional nursing tips include remembering the core values of nurses, which are altruism, human dignity, integrity, honesty, autonomy, and social justice. Thus, when these values are present in the minds of nurses and doctors, it is easier to conduct multidisciplinary team meetings that are based on communication and teamwork.

It is important to spread and promote collaboration between doctors and nurses, and the Nursa team is proud to support this collaboration. The Nursa app connects hospitals and medical employers in urgent need of nurses with high-quality healthcare professionals. Through this app, healthcare professionals get good jobs, good pay, and a choice of schedules. By promoting nurse and physician collaboration, Nursa ensures that wherever the app's users go, there is a team ready to embrace new staff with open arms, helping to grow the team with a different perspective.

Blog published on:
September 7, 2022

Miranda is a Registered Nurse, Medical Fact Checker, and Publishing Editor at Nursa. Her work has been featured in publications including the American Nurses Association (ANA), Healthcare IT Outcomes, International Living, and more.

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