The Psychology of Practical Thinking among Physicians and Nurses

The interprofessional collaboration between physicians and nurses is crucial and has been highlighted in different contexts. Collaboration, between physicians and nurses, means cooperation in work, sharing responsibilities for solving problems, and making decisions to formulate and carry out plans for patient care. Although the provision of healthcare is becoming more complex, collaboration among healthcare workers can be a path to improve the quality of healthcare services especially in hospitals in which environment is characterized by ongoing interaction among professionals. Nurse-physician collaboration and teamwork can improve patient outcomes and lower healthcare cost, increase job satisfaction, and maintain patients' safety. The communication between nurses and physicians is considered a principal part of the information flow in healthcare; meanwhile the growing evidences show that improper or poor communication can create a chronic state of conflict between nurses and physician leading to increase in the medical errors and poor outcomes and to enforce nurses to leave their professions.