Journal article
Conceptualizations of interprofessional communication in intensive care units: findings from a scoping review
Journal of communication in healthcare, Vol.17(2), pp.130-142
01/10/2024
DOI: 10.1080/17538068.2023.2297124
PMID: 38197399
Abstract
Clinical errors in intensive care units (ICUs) are consistently attributed to communication errors. Despite its importance for patient safety and quality in critical care settings, few studies consider interprofessional communication as more than the basic exchange of information.
We conducted a scoping review of interprofessional communication in ICUs to (1) characterize how communication is defined and measured and (2) identify contributions the field of health communication can make to team communication in ICUs. Through a series of queries in PubMed and Communication and Mass Media Complete databases, we identified and compared persistent gaps in how communication is framed and theorized in 28 publications from health services and 6 from social science outlets. We identified research priorities and suggested strategies for discussing communication more holistically in future health services research.
34 articles published from 1999 to 2021 were included. Six explicitly defined communication. Six were published in social science journals, but none were authored by a communication studies scholar. Half of the articles addressed communication as a transaction focused on information transfer, and the other half addressed communication as a process.
Methodological implications are identified with the intent to encourage future interdisciplinary collaboration for studying communication in ICUs. We discuss the importance of (1) using language to describe communication that facilitates interdisciplinary engagement, (2) prioritizing communication as a process and using qualitative methods to provide insight, and (3) engaging health communication theories and experts to assist in developing more fruitful research questions and designs.
Details
- Title: Subtitle
- Conceptualizations of interprofessional communication in intensive care units: findings from a scoping review
- Creators
- Nicole L Johnson - Center for Access & Delivery Research and Evaluation, Iowa City Veterans Affairs Health Care System, Iowa City, IA, USAJane Moeckli - Iowa City VA Health Care System
- Resource Type
- Journal article
- Publication Details
- Journal of communication in healthcare, Vol.17(2), pp.130-142
- DOI
- 10.1080/17538068.2023.2297124
- PMID
- 38197399
- ISSN
- 1753-8068
- eISSN
- 1753-8076
- Language
- English
- Electronic publication date
- 01/10/2024
- Academic Unit
- Internal Medicine
- Record Identifier
- 9984627281002771
Metrics
21 Record Views