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In fact, in a 2005 Report¹, the American Association of Critical Care Nurses said that nurses' communication skills must be as proficient as their clinical skills, rating communication and collaboration as one of six essential standards for practitioners. AACN's recommendations came on the heels of another 2005 study, Silence Kills: The Seven Crucial Conversations for Healthcare², which urges hospital administrators to create formal processes to ensure information sharing among the health care team.

At Genesis, Annette Holst piloted three nurse-physician communication tools and selected Studer Group's Got Chart? tool as the best way to reduce nurse anxiety and hardwire effective physician communication. "We joined forces to consolidate calls to physicians. 'Got Chart?' formalizes the communication process through critical thinking, and creates a comprehensive reporting tool," she says.

"So often the doctor needs additional information, such as whether a patient has allergies, before prescribing a therapy over the phone," adds Dr. Shauna Roberts, Medical Director of Genesis Heart Institute. Sometimes information relayed over the phone can be a determining factor in whether a physician decides to come back to the hospital. "The problem isn't always what it appears to be on the surface," she adds. "With the help of this checklist, nurses and physicians communicate more effectively. There are fewer frustrations. It saves time and perhaps most importantly, improves patient care."

¹  AACN Standards for Establishing and Sustaining Healthy Work Environments, a report by the American Association of Critical Care Nurses, Jan. 2005.

 Silence Kills: The Seven Crucial Conversations for Healthcare, a national study co-sponsored by AACN and VitalSmarts documenting the role of communication among 1700 nurses, physicians, clinical staff, and administrators in job satisfaction and retention.