Familiarity Among Nurses: The Key to ICU Patient Outcomes?

A study conducted by Duclos and colleagues examined the impact of nurse-to-nurse familiarity on patient mortality in ICUs in France between 2011 and 2016. The study found that suboptimal nurse-to-nurse familiarity was associated with patient mortality. Results indicated that increasing familiarity between nurses decreased the risk of patient mortality during shifts. The study also found that suboptimal nurse-to-nurse familiarity over three consecutive shifts, combined with low patient-to-nurse and patient-to-assistant nurse ratios, increased the risk of death in the ICU. The study suggests that familiarity among nurses is an important modifiable factor that should be examined to improve patient care. Future research should examine familiarity among nurses and its impact on patient outcomes at the individual nurse-patient level.