Nurse-physician collaboration can help combat healthcare-associated infections

Strong nurse-physician collaboration can help hospitals' critical care units cut down on healthcare-associated infections (HAIs), according to an article in the journal Critical Care Nurse. Researchers led by Christine Boev, R.N., Ph.D., analyzed 671 nurse-perception surveys over five years in four intensive care units (ICUs) as well as incidences of ventilator-associated pneumonia and central catheter–associated bloodstream infections. These HAIs, two of the most common types, occurred less frequently in ICUs where nurses had a more favorable perception of nurse-physician collaboration, researchers found. "Our findings suggest that raising the quality of collaboration and communication among nurses and physicians has the potential to improve patient safety," Boev said in an announcement. "Efforts to prevent healthcare-associated infections must include interventions to improve nurse-physician collaboration." Article