The Impact of Physician-Nurse Interaction on Patient Care

The perceptions of physicians and nurses vary in a number of respects, including the extent to which collaboration and joint decision making are valued, the definition of what constitutes adequate and appropriate interprofessional communication, the quality of nurse-physician interactions, and the understanding of respective areas of responsibility as well as patient goals. Reasons for these differences have been attributed to gender, historical origins of the two professions, and disparities between physicians and nurses with regard to socioeconomic status, education, and socialization. Failure of physicians and nurses to interact in a coordinated and positive fashion results in unhealthy work environments and poor patient outcomes. Both professions must examine their will to improve interprofessional interactions.