Obstacles Facing Critical Care Nurses and Their Educational Needs Regarding Communication with the Interdisciplinary Health Team

Background: Effective communication among interdisciplinary healthcare teams is essential for ensuring patient safety and optimal care outcomes in critical care settings. However, nurses often face obstacles that hinder collaboration. Aim of the study: To assess obstacles facing critical care nurses and their educational needs regarding communication with the interdisciplinary health team. Research design: A descriptive correlational research design was utilized. Setting: The study was conducted in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), Cardiac Care Unit (CCU), and Intermediate Care Unit at El Kharga Hospital, New Valley Governorate, Egypt. Subjects: All available nurses (n=60) with at least one year of experience in critical care. Tools: Interprofessional Collaboration Survey and Assessment of Interdisciplinary Team Collaboration Scale (AITCS). Results: The findings showed that critical care nurses demonstrated moderate levels of interprofessional collaboration, with mean percentages of 76.8% for collaboration experience, 74.6% for personal skills, and 74.0% for training interest. The AITCS results also indicated an overall moderate level of interdisciplinary collaboration (mean score 3.02). Conclusion: The study revealed moderate levels of interprofessional collaboration among critical care nurses, with strong positive correlations between all collaboration domains and no gender differences. Recommendations: the need for structured training to enhance communication and teamwork in critical care units.