Conflict management and communications skills in the ICU: a qualitative study on forming junior critical care nurses through drama pedagogy

Working as a nurse in intensive care units (ICUs) necessitates the possession of technical and non-technical skills in providing high-quality care to critically ill patients. However, current critical care curricula often do not offer training in such skills. To address this gap, drama workshops were developed in this study to improve non-technical skills in post-graduate critical care nursing education. We aimed to understand critical care nursing students’ perceptions of the drama programme, which focused on communication, teamwork and conflict management in the ICU. Focus groups and one individual interview with 19 participants recruited from a post-graduate (or master’s) critical care programme were conducted. Thematic qualitative analysis was used to analyse the data. Three themes were identified: Personal and professional development, Emotional engagement and psychological safety in learning, Struggling to maintain the professional identity and role performance. The findings suggest an increased awareness of teamwork and individual responsibilities. Participants described an increased self-awareness, particularly regarding body language and emotional responses during interpersonal conflicts. They valued the opportunity for reflection and peer discussion, which deepened their understanding of team dynamics. However, performance anxiety, especially when portraying unprofessional roles, and the lack of an authentic environment were identified as barriers to engagement. The findings suggest that drama-based pedagogy can serve as an effective medium for facilitating reflective engagement and the development of non-technical professional competencies, particularly in conflict management. These findings point to the value of embodied, experiential approaches in higher education curricula aimed at fostering deeper and affective learning processes and a complement to simulation-based teaching. Teamwork in the ICU can benefit from drama-based learning programmes as it increases awareness regarding the significance of collaboration within the healthcare team. Moreover, it can help develop nurses’ non-technical skills, which are essential in caring for critically ill patients and initiating effective interprofessional interactions. N/A.