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Abstract
Aim
To describe and quantify nursing communication practices in the in-patient setting.
Background
Strategies aimed at improving communication among the healthcare team have resulted in marginal improvements, which may in part be due to the limited time the team communicates with one another.
Method
Nurses (n = 12) on three different types of units were observed to determine time spent in synchronous communication with the healthcare team.
Results
Total communication time, on average, was 2.85 hours (23.8%) of a 12-hour shift, with nurse–physician communication (11.3 minutes) and nurse-assistive personnel (8.5 minutes) accounting for a small part of time. Differences in time communicating with physicians were noted between the intensive care unit and the pediatric unit. Time spent in communication with unlicensed assistive personnel was 9.6 minutes in the intensive care unit, 14.1 minutes in the adult unit, and only 1.8 minutes in the pediatric unit.
Conclusion
Strategies must be identified that will either maximize time spent in communication or provide more opportunities for communication to occur. Administrators must reinforce the need for communication and initiate opportunities for engagement among the team. They must role model the importance of communicating with all members of the healthcare team, as well as instill the importance of time spent in communication.