Peer Review

Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Nurses and Healthcare- Conflict Resolution and De-Escalation

Material Detail page

Reviewed:: May 8, 2026 by Health Sciences

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Ratings

Overall Rating:

Content Quality:

Effectiveness:

Ease of Use:

Overview:

This chapter includes a multi-modal approach and covers conflict resolution and de-escalation strategies for nurses and interprofessional healthcare partners. The chapter includes the causes and types of workplace conflict, harassment and incivility, de-escalation frameworks, and aggression assessment instruments. The chapter integrates definitions, narrative, embedded videos, and an interactive knowledge check.

Type of Material:

Open (Access) Textbook

Recommended Uses:

Pre-class preparation or flipped classroom assignment; independent self-study; orientation or onboarding for new nursing staff; continuing education unit (CEU) activity; supplemental resource for nursing leadership or teamwork courses
Could be assigned as homework

Technical Requirements:

Internet access
Web browser

Identify Major Learning Goals:

After active engagement, the learner will:

Describe interprofessional conflict within clinical settings.
Explain communication techniques used to reduce conflict in interprofessional communication.
Identify the most commonly used communication techniques for de-escalation in healthcare environments and the acronyms for them.

Target Student Population:

Pre-licensure nursing students (ADN, BSN, graduate level programs)
Registered Nurses in clinical practice
Nursing Faculty teaching communication, leadership, or patient safety courses

Prerequisite Knowledge or Skills:

A basic understanding of nursing roles and healthcare team structure is helpful but not required.
Basic knowledge of AHRQ is helpful but not required.
Introductory coursework in nursing communication or interprofessional collaboration is helpful but not required.

Content Quality

Rating:

Strengths:

Content is clear.
Key terms are defined early in the chapter.
Introduces students to real-world communication issues and strategies to de-escalate.
Introduces students to incivility and lateral violence in the work setting.
The material is flexible in use for undergraduate/graduate education and clinical staff development.
Information is relevant; most information appears to be current.
The lesson accurately presents the DESC script, the CUS tool, and the Two-Challenge Rule, with practical clinical examples that make the concepts concrete and memorable.
The information is well-organized and supported by established AHRQ guidelines.

Concerns:

Page 14 needs more explicit instructions for viewing the video in CUS; the remainder of the page is empty, which is confusing for readers.
The references could be updated, as several are over 15 years old.
Some links on the reference page are no longer working.

Potential Effectiveness as a Teaching Tool

Rating:

Strengths:

The presentation of concepts is strengthened through the use of practice examples and additional video scenarios/simulations, used appropriately.
Content is easy to read, so that concepts are easily understood.
The list of key terms provides clear definitions.
Measurable learning objectives are stated at the beginning of the chapter and include comprehension, application, and analysis levels.
Structured tools (DESC, CUS, Two-Challenge Rule) are included for real clinical scenarios, making the content actionable.
The Knowledge check quiz (requiring 85% score to earn a completion certificate) provides formative assessment of learning outcomes. This is particularly helpful in an online course.
The module content would integrate effectively into interprofessional or intraprofessional education activities such as simulation debriefs, group activities, or in-class discussions.
De-escalation content would integrate well into a psychiatric nursing course or simulation activity.

Concerns:

This activity helps summarize with a focus on bullying and harassment experienced only by nurses. Consider expanding to the healthcare team.
The quiz does not provide feedback on answers or indicate which were incorrect (only the total score is provided). Consider providing feedback about content.
Instructors should be encouraged to pair the module with a reflective writing prompt or scenario-based quiz to measure application-level learning.
Consider adding a pre-requisite statement at the start of the chapter. This would strengthen the chapter as a stand-alone resource.

Ease of Use for Both Students and Faculty

Rating:

Strengths:

The embedded resources are appropriate for the concepts and of high quality.
Navigation of the pages is easy, and images are cited.
Sequential headings are used.
Text is selectable.
The module is logically structured, moving from definitions through causes of conflict, resolution strategies and tools, then transitions to de-escalation content.
The material is intuitive and easy to navigate without technical training.
The interactive elements, including embedded quizzes and some scenario prompts, help to keep learners engaged throughout the module.
Overall visual design is clean and professional.

Concerns:

Avoid red font (page 9) as red-green color blindness is common.
On page 9, the alt text for the conflict management figure is "cm." Consider using a one- or two-sentence description of the figure, or placing the figure's information in the text for accessibility. "cm" as alt text is unlikely to convey to the reader what the figure shows.
Many images/figures include an abbreviation as the alt text. Consider updating the alt text to describe the image/figure.
Page 11 specifically calls out “difficult doctors,” which can be an unfair assessment of the medical profession. Additionally, page 11 mentions that the following pages will specifically address that issue, but they do not. Consider rewording the phrase used.
Grammatical errors (spacing, spelling, punctuation)
Consider bolding important text on pages to break up the monotony of text on the page
Some links on the reference page were live, but others were not set up.

Other Issues and Comments:

Overall, this is a useful tool for introducing conflict, conflict management, and communication techniques for interprofessional teams in healthcare settings. Clear use of terminology, existing evidence, and resources lends to the usability and value of the activity. It can provide a certificate of completion as preparation for further discussion on the topic.
The content is extremely valuable for healthcare professionals and includes a section on incivility and lateral violence in the workplace.
This is a helpful chapter that could be used in a variety of higher educational settings. It would be helpful to have the entire open educational resource textbook to review instead of one chapter so the context of the information can be evaluated.

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