Physicians' Experience of Communication with Nurses related to Patient Safety: A Phenomenological Study Using the Colaizzi Method

Abstract Purpose This study attempted to understand the core experiences of physicians related to communicating with nurses in Korea. Methods Ten physicians who worked at four tertiary university hospitals were interviewed. Data were analyzed using the phenomenological method developed by Colaizzi. Results The following six categories of participants’ experience of communication with nurses were extracted from the analysis: (a) “Complex situations and heavy roles that cannot afford safety,” (b) “Forcing a superior position in an authoritative environment,” (c) “Different perspectives on patient care and difficulties in establishing relationships,” (d) “Communicating key clues and receiving feedback from each other,” (e) “Apathetic agreements rather than improvements,” and (f) “Gradually developing mutually complementary communication.” Conclusion The present findings revealed that physicians lacked an understanding about the roles and tasks of nurses. The participants engaged in mutually complementary communication with experienced nurses, obtaining desirable patient outcomes and perceived order filtering by nurses as a safety mechanism. It is important for managers to act as proactive change agents to improve communication. Furthermore, the importance and different forms of complementary communication between physicians and nurses need to be described and taught in depth with practical cases.