Emergency Nurses' and Physicians' Awareness of the Nurse's Role in the Diagnostic Team - Teamwork Attitudes: An Example of Türkiye

OpenAlex İngilizce

Aim: This descriptive study aimed to evaluate emergency nurses’ and physicians’ awareness of the nurse’s role within the medical diagnostic team and assess their attitudes toward teamwork. Material and Methods: The study included 45 nurses and 31 physicians who worked in the emergency department of a training and research public hospital in Ankara. The researchers collected data using the Nurse and Physician Questionnaire Form and the Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire. Results: The majority of nurses indicated that they should be involved in the medical diagnostic process, while only about a third of physicians agreed with this view. On the other hand, physicians reported that, before determining a diagnosis, they consulted nurses regarding patients’ conditions, including their symptoms and related clinical observations, yet maintained that diagnosis is exclusively a physician's responsibility. Mean teamwork attitude scores were 110.32 ± 9.73 for physicians and 110.33 ± 13.51 for nurses, suggesting positive teamwork attitudes in both groups. A statistically significant difference was observed exclusively in the Mutual Support sub-dimension, indicating differing views on reciprocal assistance between the groups. Conclusions: Nurses recognized their distinct role in formulating medical diagnoses, whereas physicians frequently underestimated the scope of these nursing contributions. Enhancing interprofessional collaboration and clear communication of professional roles is crucial for reducing diagnostic errors and promoting diagnostic safety. Implication for nursing practice/management: Healthcare managers should foster a diagnostic culture that values all professionals and prioritizes interprofessional teamwork. Incorporating interprofessional education into medical and nursing degree curricula may enhance collaboration, improve diagnostic safety, and strengthen teamwork.