Literature review

Nursing and medicine professions are closely related in the medical arena. When a

patient comes to the hospital the outcome depends on the doctor’s diagnosis and treatment and

the nurses’ skill in providing accurate information as well as quality observation (Falana et al.,

2016). Intentional collaboration between doctors and nurses is necessary for proper, better,

efficient, and effective health care delivery.

Collaboration can be described as doctor and nurse interaction. The purpose of this

interaction is to boost the quality of care provided to the patients which are achieved when both

professionals share their skills and knowledge (Vazirani et al., 2005). As to the effectiveness of

collaboration in the treatment of NCD patients, Ngo et al., (2014) highlight, that collaboration

improves the quality of care given to patients under single conditions. Even though collaboration

has been documented to be effective in the treatment of patients with alcohol-related disorders,

there is no evidence to support its impact on patients with multiple conditions. Because of the

growth of the complex nature of healthcare today, and the demand for specialization, there

comes a need to collaborate on interrelated professional skills. Collaboration between doctors-

nurses has also been observed to impact positively the cost of treatment and job satisfaction.

Collaboration has since led to the establishment of policies in the medical arena through

the introduction of cross-professional relationships. Despite the fact that nurses and doctors value

collaboration, its achievement has never been complete because of conflict. The sources of these

conflicts include poor communication on the patient’s status and the feeling of superiority in the

decision-making process, misunderstanding of group norms, inability to condone weaknesses,

and poor conflict resolution (Zwarenstein & Byrant, 2000; Falana et al., 2016).
 According to Falana et al (2016), the absence of effective doctor-nurse collaboration is;

failure to rescue, errors in medication, and death of a patient. In addition, this can also result in

underutilization of patient care, patient dissatisfaction, and poor perception.

Wood (2019), identified the following kinds of collaboration among doctors-nurses in

NCD clinics; collaborative culture, trust and respect, and teamwork. Collaborative culture starts

with the leaders of the organization and is then emulated by others. This kind of collaboration is

obtained by developing proper listening skills, questioning the subject, positively criticizing

feedback, and avoiding being judgmental. Secondly, the doctors and nurses need to build trust

and respect for each other. The objective of the clinic is to ensure patients are treated therefore,

doctors and nurses should work toward a common understanding through dialogue, mutual

respect, and building trust (Vatn & Dahl, 2019). Doctors and nurses perform different crucial

roles in the treatment of the patient. But for effective treatment teamwork need to be in place.

There is supposed to be consultation on medication, response to the drug, and the condition of

the patient.

Recommendations

For effective collaborations to be in place between doctors and nurses in the NCD clinic, Curtis,

Tzannes, and Rudge (2011) suggest that there have to be proper relationships and effective

communication between them. Kelly (2005) agrees with this point when he documents those

effective collaborations between doctors and nurses depend on effective communication. It is,

therefore, necessary for doctors and nurses to improve the quality of their communication on a

personal level and corporately as well by eliminating barriers to effective communication.

Another way to implement collaboration is by conducting training on its importance in

the medical field. According to Wood (2019), when doctors and nurses train together, they
develop teamwork and enhance patient care decision-making. For NCD medical practitioners

(doctors and nurses) to offer effective treatment through collaboration, training for all members

is recommended.
 REFERENCES
Curtis, K., Tzannes, A., & Rudge, T. (2011). How to talk to doctors–a guide for effective
communication. International nursing review, 58(1), 13-20.
Falana, T. D., Afolabi, O. T., Adebayo, A. M., & Ilesanmi, O. S. (2016). Collaboration between
Doctors and Nurses in a Tertiary Health Facility in South West Nigeria: Implication for
Effective Healthcare Delivery. International Journal of Caring Sciences, 9(1).
Kelly, A. E. (2005). Relationships in emergency care: communication and impact. Advanced
Emergency Nursing Journal, 27(3), 192-197.
Ngo, V. K., Rubinstein, A., Ganju, V., Kanellis, P., Loza, N., Rabadan-Diehl, C., & Daar, A. S.
(2013). Grand challenges: integrating mental health care into the non-communicable
disease agenda. PLoS medicine, 10(5), e1001443.
Vatn, L., & Dahl, B. M. (2022). Interprofessional collaboration between nurses and doctors for
treating patients in surgical wards. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 36(2), 186-194.
Vazirani, S., Hays, R. D., Shapiro, M. F., & Cowan, M. (2005). Effect of a multidisciplinary
intervention on communication and collaboration among physicians and
nurses. American Journal of Critical Care, 14(1), 71-77.

Wood, D. (2019, May 9). Home. Merritt Hawkins. Retrieved May 29, 2022, from
https://www.merritthawkins.com/news-and-insights/blog/healthcare-news-and-trends/9-
ways-physicians-can-effectively-collaborate-with-nurses/

Zwarenstein, M., & Bryant, W. (2000). Interventions to promote collaboration between nurses
and doctors. Cochrane database of systematic reviews, (2).