Minimizing Harm From ADEs by Improving Nurse-Physician Communication

Completed

Conditions studied: Interdisciplinary Communication, Management, Medication Therapy

In brief

The purpose of this research study is to examine the clinical processes of care involved with the sharing and communicating of medication management information in the inpatient setting between nurses, pharmacists and physicians. The study is unique in that few studies have examined communication content and processes in depth and in relation to specific clinical care. The study will be conducted in two phases. The first phase involves using three focus groups across three sites (a total of nine) each involving between 6-8 individuals to examine perceptions regarding role and procedures associated with medication management. The focus group discussions will be tape-recorded and analyzed using qualitative methods. The information gleaned will assist us in identifying patterns of problems in enhancing the sharing of information, to develop better measures for assessing communication as well as designing effective interventions to enhance communication. In the second phase of the study, 400 2-4 hour time slots will be randomly selected over about a 5-week period for nursing staff and 500 events over a 6-week period for physicians to conduct ethnographic observations during which specific communication events will be recorded and coded. Every effort will be made to minimize interruptions during clinical care. This research has not been done in terms of medication management content in the inpatient setting (non-ICU).

Key facts

Study ID

NCT00574990

Run by

US Department of Veterans Affairs

People needed

39

Starts

2008-01-01

Expected to finish

2009-09-01

Last updated by the study team

2015-06-09

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 75. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Providers who are working in the VA on the inpatient setting, including pharmacists, nurses, and physicians.

You may not qualify if…

• Staff who have worked at the VA less than 1 year.

Where it is running

• VA Medical Center, San Francisco — San Francisco, California, United States
• VA Medical Center, Asheville — Asheville, North Carolina, United States
• Salt Lake City — Salt Lake City, Utah, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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