Improving Communication Between Nurses and Resident Physicians: A 3-Year Quality Improvement Project.

Breakdown in communication is a predictor of both nursing and surgical errors. In a 2013 survey at our institution, staff on the general surgery unit identified nurse-resident communication as the most important issue related to patient safety. The general surgery Comprehensive Unit-based Safety Program sought to improve nurse-resident communication through a 3-year quality improvement initiative. A multidisciplinary working group conducted a root-cause analysis and developed initiatives addressing priority issues in nurse-resident communication. Two main interventions were developed: structured face-to-face interaction at discharge rounds and notebooks to transfer nonurgent messages. Compliance was evaluated. The primary outcomes of percieved communication and collaboration were assessed using a validated survey distributed to residents and unit nurses before the intervention, 9 months after, and 2.5 years after the intervention. The interventions were associated with improvements in perceived communication and team function. Survey scores, on average, were significant higher at 9 months postintervention and remained significant compared with preintervention after 2.5 years (from 57% to 74%, P = .01, then 72%, P = .02, among residents; and from 63% to 80%, P = .01, then 77% among nurses). Our framework and initiatives addressing nurse-resident communication may be useful for other teams interested in addressing this critical patient safety issue.