We see it all the time on television: The brilliant, gifted, world-class physician barking orders at his nurse, shutting down her suggestions or objections with a snorted, "Just do it!" There are complications, and the team scrambles to save the patient's arm or kidney or life. Everything turns out all right, because the doctor finally listens to the nurse, who learned some critical health information during an informal chat with the patient before surgery, when the nurse was reassuring the patient that the doctor is, indeed, The Best.

If only the surgeon had taken the time to get to know the patient! In the end, of course, the doctor learns the valuable lesson only the nurse can teach: Patients are people, too.

But are nurses?

Researchers recently surveyed more than 1,000 physicians and nurses in leadership positions about their working relationships. The results show a startling disconnect: Just 58 percent of nurses thought that physician abuse or disrespect of nurses is uncommon, but 88 percent of physicians thought so.

The difference in perceptions has more to do with patient care than it does with hurt feelings. It may speak to communication problems or care system inefficiencies, or both, that could easily translate into poor patient satisfaction and adverse outcomes.

One nurse leader, a vice president of patient care and chief nursing officer for a mid-sized hospital, believes the gap shows that doctors do not always understand nurses' roles. Nurses have taken on more care coordination responsibilities in the past few years, so they may know more about a patient's history.

It may also be a sign of different communication styles in the professions. Doctors see their time as their most valuable commodity, so they tend to want quick answers to direct questions. Nurses tend to offer more detailed explanations.

One thing that everyone agrees on is that patient care comes first. As health care changes over the next few years, the dynamic between doctors and nurses may change -- or may have to change.

Source: Health Leaders Media, "Addressing the Disrespect Disconnect," Joe Cantlupe, Feb. 13, 2012