Nurses' Descriptions of Interdisciplinary Interactions in Stroke and Geriatric Rehabilitation Units: A Case Example of the Registered Practical Nurse.
Mehvish Masood, Nicole A Guitar, Denise M Connelly and 1 others
PMID 39355993WHAT IT FOUND
Thirty-one Ontario registered practical nurses said rehab team interactions depended on clear roles and communication: they carried over therapy, followed therapist transfer and swallowing directives, and used whiteboards/charts.
These are perceptions, not patient outcomes.
Key findings
01RPNs said nurses were with patients 24 hours a day and did therapy carry-over for the other 22 hours a day when patients had only 2 hours of therapy.
02RPNs said therapists updated whiteboards with how patients transfer, dress, and wash, and nurses used this as a guide.
03RPNs described gyms as therapist space and said some electronic chart fields were therapist-only.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for PTsWhat it means for OTs
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What it does not show
Secondary analysis of data collected for a different question, so saturation was set by the parent study, not by this analysis. Convenience sample of only RPNs from three Ontario hospitals during the pandemic, so it may not represent other settings or staff groups. Findings are nurses' self-reported perceptions, not observed team behaviour or patient outcomes. The interviewer had no nursing background, and the research team shared a belief that nurses are valuable, which may have shaped interpretation.
Declared interests
The authors declare no conflicts of interest.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read these themes as proof that better nurse-therapist communication improves patient recovery. The study reports 31 nurses' perceptions in three Ontario sites, not patient outcomes or therapist perspectives.