Self-Efficacy in Situation Background Assessment and Recommendation Communication Using Information Technology in Baccalaureate Nursing

Strong communication skills are essential in establishing a foundation for safe delivery of care. A report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) titled: To Err is Human: Building a Safer Health System estimated 44,000 to 98,000 deaths occur due to medical errors annually. Communication failure was found to be the root cause in 70% of these cases of medical error. Several studies also indicate communication issues still represent up to 80% of errors and sentinel events in hospitals accredited by the Joint Commission. The IOM\u27s report indicate improving communication in the healthcare setting is essential in reducing medical errors. In a second landmark publication, Crossing the Quality Chasm: A New Health System for the 21st Century, a key finding identified information and communication technology as critical to achieving safe delivery of patient care. Additionally, the report highlighted that information and communication technology (IT) and the IT demands impose the need for nursing education to prepare the entry-level nurse in the knowledge, skills, and abilities to communicate effectively using IT in patient care. The purposes of this study were three-fold: (a) describe the web messaging communication ability of a convenience sample of senior nursing students in a baccalaureate program using the Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation (SBAR) communication format in an IT web messaging application; (b) describe nursing students’ self- efficacy associated with SBAR communication in IT web messaging; and (c) determine the relationship between web messaging self-efficacy and web messaging communication ability using the SBAR method. This quantitative study used a cross-sectional, descriptive, correlational design with a convenience sample of one group of senior baccalaureate nursing students at a private university in the Pacific Northwest to explore the relationships among web messaging self-efficacy, SBAR knowledge, and SBAR web messaging communication ability in the IT environment. The study was informed by aspects of two theoretical frameworks: Benner’s (1984) novice to expert theory and Bandura’s (1977, 1986) social learning theory of self-efficacy. Aspects of each framework contributed to the model that guided this study. Results of this study have the potential to influence educational intervention designs to address frequently encountered healthcare team and patient communication failures