Effective Communication between Nurses and Doctors: Barriers as Perceived by Nurses

Effective communication among healthcare providers is the key driver for the success of the healthcare system. All the decisions related to patient care depend on effective communication among healthcare providers. Communication and teamwork are the backbones of the organization and helps to safeguard patients’ safety. The study aimed to identify the contributing factors to the communication gap between doctors and nurses at selected private hospitals in Malaysia. The study used a qualitative method with an explorative and descriptive design to elicit the experience of 24 staff nurses from six private hospitals in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. A semi-structured interview was conducted to collect the data. The data were analysed using Colaizzi's method for thematic data analysis. The findings of the study suggested three categories as the factors to be responsible for the nurse-physician communication gap as perceived by nurses. The three categories are nurses work readiness; work environment and physician attributes. The respondents also suggested measures to overcome the communication barrier among nurses and physicians. In conclusion, a healthy nurse-physician communication is a vital factor in determining patient safety and quality of care.