Healthcare Professionals’ Communication Attitudes in Intensive Care Units: A Qualitative Study

Background: In the complex context of Intensive Care Units (ICUs), healthcare professionals coordinate care under considerable time pressure, uncertainty, and emotional strain. Effective interprofessional communication is essential for safe, high-quality patient care and is influenced by the communication attitudes of team members. This study aimed to explore the communication attitudes of healthcare professionals working in ICUs.Methods: This qualitative study involved 40 healthcare professionals, including resident physicians, nurses, and anaesthesia technicians. Data were collected in March 2023 through brief individual scenario-based simulation encounters followed by profession-specific focus group interviews. Focus group interview data and observation notes from the simulation sessions were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.Results: Six themes were identified: hierarchical structure, duties and responsibilities, role of the patient, team dynamics, coping mechanisms, and limitations of ICU simulation. Communication attitudes were strongly shaped by authority gradients, role ambiguity, and local team norms, often constraining open dialogue and collaborative decision-making. Participants also described emotional strain and a tendency to manage communication challenges through avoidance or hierarchical escalation rather than direct engagement.Conclusion: Communication in ICUs is shaped not only by individual skills but also by attitudes embedded within organisational structures, professional relationships, and workplace cultures. By foregrounding communication attitudes rather than behaviours alone, this study provides insight into how communication practices are learned, reinforced, and negotiated in critical care settings. Context-sensitive communication education, particularly in-situ simulation that reflects authentic team configurations, may support more reflective interprofessional learning and contribute to safer, more collaborative ICU practice.