Addressing Communication Dilemmas Through Clinical Nurse Specialist Leadership

Poor communication and collaboration are common problems in critical care units because of the complex, dynamic, unpredictable, and time-pressured environment. The condition of patients in critical care units is typically rapidly changing, requiring clinicians to manage large amounts of data (eg, symptoms, hemodynamic and laboratory values), which must be interpreted and effectively communicated. Critical care nurses must skillfully analyze clinical situations, make decisions based on this analysis, and rapidly intervene to ensure optimal patient outcomes.¹  Complicating this response is a need for physicians to make “just in time” critical clinical decisions that are often independent of timely and effective communication.^{2, 3}  As clinical practice leaders on their units, clinical nurse specialists (CNSs) can identify and strategically address communication and collaboration issues that may be compromising the delivery of quality patient care. Through CNS leadership, interprofessional health care team members can engage in partnership activities that facilitate communication...