Abstract
Introduction: Effective nurse-patient communication is essential for providing high-quality care and increasing patient satisfaction. Conversely, poor communication often leads to patient dissatisfaction and a decline in service quality. This study aimed to identify the barriers to effective nurse-patient communication from the perspective of nurses working in teaching hospitals in Zanjan, Iran.
Methods: This cross-sectional study involved 195 nurses from various wards in Zanjan’s teaching hospitals in 2025. Participants were selected using a stratified random sampling method. Data collection tools included a demographic questionnaire and the “Barriers to Effective Nurse-Patient Communication” questionnaire. This tool was developed in 2008, and its validity and reliability have been established in previous studies. Data were analyzed using SPSS version 26 via descriptive and inferential statistics, including independent t-tests, one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), Kruskal–Wallis, Mann–Whitney U tests, and Pearson’s correlation coefficient, with the significance level set at P<0.05.
Results: The most important barriers to effective nurse–patient communication were identified as the difficulty of nursing work (92.9%), high workload (92.3%), low salary (90.8%), lack of welfare facilities (88.8%), physical and mental fatigue (87.2%), lack of recognition from officials (83.6%), and excessive patient expectations (80.5%). Job-related factors had the most substantial impact (35.69±5.22). Notably, nurses’ demographic and occupational characteristics indicated no significant relationship with communication barriers (P>0.05).
Conclusion: The findings showed that communication barriers were mainly related to occupational conditions, specifically work difficulty, low salary, and nurses’ exhaustion. It is recommended that intervention programs be designed and implemented to reduce nursing workloads and provide communication skills to enhance their ability to interact effectively with patients.