Nurses, Head Nurses, and Nursing Supervisors' Perceptions of Quality of Communication with Physicians and Managers in the Palestine Medical Complex, West Bank: A Cross Sectional Study رسالة ماجستير

Abstract

Background: Effective communication is an essential aspect of healthcare delivery in Palestinian hospitals in the West Bank, including the Palestine Medical Complex. It ensures seamless coordination, patient safety, and efficient teamwork. In the healthcare setting, communication takes place among various stakeholders in the complex, including nurses, physicians, and managers. Nurses, in particular, play a critical role in patient care and are often at the heart of communication exchanges. It is important to understand nurses' perceptions regarding the quality of communication between nurses, physicians, and managers to identify potential gaps, challenges, and opportunities for improvement. Aim: This study aimed to explore the perception of nurses regarding the quality of communication among nurses, physicians, and managers at the Palestine Medical Complex in the West Bank. Methods: A descriptive cross-sectional analytical study design was adopted. A questionnaire was administered to a random stratified sample of 202 nurses, including four nursing supervisors, ten head nurses, and 188 nurses. Results: The majority of nurses (88.1%) showed a medium level of perception of mutual understanding, with a mean score of (8.401 ± 1.556). fairly balanced between medium level of openness (46.0%) and high levels (48.5%), with a mean score of (17.144 ± 2.907). An 81.2 % of people reported feeling moderately frustrated with interactions, with a mean score of (11.535 ± 2.390). A majority of respondents often felt respected (53.5%) and satisfied (54%) in their interactions with physicians and managers but rarely felt pleased (55.9%). While 78.7% reported some level of understanding with physicians and managers, and 78.2% found it somewhat easy to seek their advice, 15% rarely or never enjoyed these interactions. The majority of respondents (89.6%) had a medium perception VI of quality of communication between nurses, doctors, and managers at PMC in WB with mean score of (103.545 ± 12.458), whereas only 5.9% had a high perception overall. In case of frustration with interaction, there were a statistically significant differences in mean scores regarding gender in favor to female nurses (p= 0.011). Regarding to education level, a statistically significant difference (p = 0.012) was found in openness for those who were with diploma and bachelors. Education had the biggest impact on the quality of communication, especially on openness and overall perception. Experience and gender also had minor effects, particularly on mutual understanding and annoyance with interaction. On the other hand, other demographic factors including age, marital status, and job position had relatively minor effects, while working hours had no effect at all. Conclusion: This study offers significant insights into the perceptions of nurses, head nurses, and nursing supervisors regarding the quality of communication with physicians and managers in the Palestine Medical Complex, West Bank. The findings indicate that while overall communication is perceived as moderately satisfactory, with most scores ranging between 60% and 80%, there are noticeable differences in perception across professional roles