A Program to Improve Communication and Collaboration Between Nurses and Medical Residents

A program was implemented for nurses and medical residents to improve communication and collaboration. It has been noted that communication and collaboration between members of the health care team improve patient outcomes and job satisfaction among nurses. Nurses on the unit where medical residents trained attended a 2-hour educational program that reviewed effective communication styles and positive aspects of collaboration, including role-playing examples. Medical residents received a self-learning packet with a posttest that was returned to researchers when completed. Focus groups, including both nurses and medical residents, were held twice a month for 6 months after the educational program. Overall improvements in communication, collaboration, patient outcomes, and job satisfaction were noted from the focus group data. The educational program proved to be successful in improving collaboration and communication between nurses and medical residents, which in turn improved patient care. J Contin Educ Nurs 2010;41(4): 172-178.