Communication between therapists and nurses working in inpatient interprofessional teams: systematic review and meta-ethnography

Abstract

Communication between therapists and nurses working in inpatient interprofessional teams: Systematic review and meta-ethnography Purpose: The aim of the synthesis was to develop new understanding about the influences on communication in interprofessional teams from therapist and nurse perspectives. Methods: Six electronic databases were searched, combined with citation tracking and hand searching, yielding 3994 papers. Three researchers were involved in screening and quality appraisal, resulting in 18 papers for synthesis, using the process of meta-ethnography. Concepts were identified, compared and translated under five category headings. Two researchers mapped interpretative summaries and a line of argument was created. Results: The line of argument is that four interrelated contingences underpin effective communication between therapists and nurses. Effective communication depends on there being a genuine need to give and receive information for patient care, the capacity to attend to, hold, and use information, and opportunities to share space to enable communication to occur. The fourth contingency is good quality relationships and this is the glue that holds the contingencies together. Conclusion: This synthesis has provided an opportunity to illuminate how therapists and nurses accomplish interprofessional work through communication. The contingencies of need, capacity, opportunity and quality of relationships create a new structure for understanding what underpins communication between these two groups.

“It’s Difficult, There’s No Formula”: Qualitative Study of Stroke Related Communication Between Primary and Secondary Healthcare Professionals

“…Adherence to clinical guidelines could benefit patient care and outcomes [35]; yet, a systematic review of healthcare professionals' adherence to stroke-specific guidelines showed inconsistent adherence, dependent on the generality or specificity of guidelines [36]. Our data show that generalists and specialists have limited time for interprofessional communication and are faced with the challenge of not having shared language or terminology with each other, thereby reducing their capacity to communicate [21].…”

“…Similarly, patients report having unmet needs and feeling unsupported in the long-term [14,16,19]. Good communication is characteristic of high-quality care transfers [14,20,21], but the extent to which timely and accurate information transfer occurs from hospital to community for stroke survivors remains unclear [12]. Methods of generalist-specialist communication concerning stroke management varies [20] and includes phone calls, case conferences, and care planning meetings [19].…”

“…Whereas, specialists (e.g. therapists) described their roles as having a fixed end, and as such are temporally bounded [21]. Therefore, role boundaries need to be agreed by those in the care pathway to ensure expectations are managed.…”

When interactions are interruptions: an ethnographic study of information-sharing by speech and language therapists and nurses on stroke units

“…Meetings are important spaces for team decision-making [5], acting as a very visible representation of the team at work [3,6]. However, much of the day-to-day planning of patient care appears to occur through informal exchanges between professionals piecing together different sources of knowledge [3,7,8]. It has been frequently reported that meetings are limited in their effectiveness as information-sharing spaces, particularly for nurses [8,9].…”

“…However, much of the day-to-day planning of patient care appears to occur through informal exchanges between professionals piecing together different sources of knowledge [3,7,8]. It has been frequently reported that meetings are limited in their effectiveness as information-sharing spaces, particularly for nurses [8,9]. Patient demands can make it hard for nurses to leave the ward to attend meetings [5,10].…”