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ABSTRACT
Interprofessional education during medical training may improve communication by promoting collaboration and the development of shared mental models between professions. We implemented a novel discussion-based intervention for surgical residents and nurses to promote mutual understanding of workflows and communication practices. General surgery residents and inpatient nurses from our institution were recruited to participate. Surveys and paging data were collected prior to and following the intervention. Surveys contained original questions and validated subscales. Interventions involved facilitated discussions about workflows, perceptions of urgency, and technology preferences. Discussions were recorded and transcribed for qualitative content analysis. Pre and post-intervention survey responses were compared with descriptive sample statistics. Group characteristics were compared using Fisher’s exact tests. Eleven intervention groups were conducted (2–6 participants per group) (n = 38). Discussions achieved three aims: Information-Sharing (learning about each other’s workflows and preferences), 2) Interpersonal Relationship-Building (establishing rapport and fostering empathy) and 3) Interventional Brainstorming (discussing strategies to mitigate communication challenges). Post-intervention surveys revealed improved nurse-reported grasp of resident schedules and tailoring of communication methods based on workflow understanding; however, communication best practices remain limited by organizational and technological constraints. Systems-level changes must be prioritized to allow intentions toward collegial communication to thrive.
Acknowledgments
The authors wish to thank Sue Tipple, Leah Bavery, Katherine Soper, Shiloh Dolphin-Mack, Elizabeth Laessig, and Katrina Schuh for their role in assisting coordinating this study with nurse participants. The authors also wish to thank Tamarine Westrand and Nik Checots from the UW Communication Center for their assistance with paging data acquisition.
Disclosure statement
No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.
Authorship contributions
Conception and design: LKK, SRPQ, LMS, CCG, SJ. Acquisition of data: LKK, SJ. Analysis and interpretation of data: LKK, LNS, ABZ, SJ. Drafting of original manuscript: LKK. Critical revisions and editing of manuscript: LKK, LNS, SRPQ, LMS, ABZ, CCG, SJ. All authors approve of submission of the final manuscript and agree to be accountable for all aspects of the work. All those qualified to be authors are listed as authors.
Social media information
Author Twitter handles: @LauraKrecko, @DrSRPQ, @linseysteege, @AmyBZelenski, @CapriceGreenber, @SJungPhD. Institution handle: @WiscSurgery
Data availability satement
The data that support the findings of this study are available from the corresponding author, SJ, upon reasonable request.
Ethical approval
Ethical approval has been granted for this study involving human subjects by the University of Wisconsin-Madison Institutional Review Board (reference ID 2021–0618; date of initial approval 07/19/2021).
Supplementary material
Supplemental data for this article can be accessed online at https://doi.org/10.1080/13561820.2023.2206434
Additional information
Funding
Notes on contributors
Laura K Krecko
Laura K. Krecko is a resident physician in general surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Her research focuses on using qualitative and mixed-methods approaches to investigate and advance interprofessional communication in order to improve the quality of care for surgical patients.
Lily N Stalter
Lily N. Stalter is a biostatistician, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. She is instrumental in the methodological design and analysis of clinical, outcomes, basic science, and educational research projects in surgery.
Sudha R Pavuluri Quamme
Sudha R. Pavuluri Quamme is a scientist, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Her work focuses on surgical coaching, teamwork and communication in the operating room, and automated assessment of surgical skills.
Linsey M Steege
Linsey M. Steege is Associate Dean for Research, Associate Professor, and Gulbrandsen Chair in Health Informatics & Systems Innovation, School of Nursing, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI. She studies human factors and ergonomics in healthcare systems; measuring and modeling stress, fatigue, workflow, and performance of health professionals; and improving technology design and integration into healthcare systems.
Amy B Zelenski
Amy B. Zelenski is Assistant Professor and Director of Education Innovation and Scholarship in the Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI. Her research focuses on teaching physicians how to engage in empathic behaviors with their patients, learners, and interprofessional colleagues, and to increase the quality of patient care and decrease healthcare provider burnout.
Caprice C Greenberg
Caprice C. Greenberg is Chair, Department of Surgery, Colin G. Thomas, Jr., MD Distinguished Professor, University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Chapel Hill, NC. She is a leader in the study of care delivery in operating rooms, innovative approaches to collaborative learning, surgical coaching, and methods to improve rural cancer care delivery.
Sarah Jung
Sarah Jung is Assistant Professor in Education Research and Development, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Her research interests focus on the creation of learner-centered learning environments and recognizing how learners’ perceptions and individual characteristics influence learning in surgery and other areas of medicine.