A Qualitative Study of Registered Nurses’ Perceptions of the Impact Communication Modalities Have on Patient Care Outcomes in Primary Care

Communication plays a vital role in the provision of patient care and directly impacts patient care outcomes across the care continuum. The purpose of this qualitative study was to explore and determine registered nurses’ perceptions of the communication modalities that facilitate optimum patient care outcomes in the primary care setting. Registered nurses play a critical role in the provision and coordination of patient care. Therefore, it is imperative to study their experiences and perceptions to facilitate communication within primary care teams. The central research question for this study was the following: How do registered nurses describe their use of communication channels to ensure optimal patient care, as analyzed through the lens of media richness theory? This qualitative methodology used an online survey to study this phenomenon. The survey included five demographic questions and 12 main questions to support the central research question and three focused research questions. Specifically, the modalities used to communicate with team members and the nurses’ perceptions of modalities utilized to communicate with team members were studied. A total of 140 qualified participants completed the online survey. The Qualtrics platform was used for data collection and then transferred to MAXQDA for detailed analysis using a thematic approach to address the central research question. Findings revealed three themes: time, personal, and documentation, and seven codes: quick, access, face-to-face, collaboration, electronic health record (EHR), patient portals and instant messaging. This study is valuable for nurses, members of the interdisciplinary team, health care organizations, communication scholars and the community at large.