Nurse–nurse collaboration among millennial emergency room nurses in government hospitals in Metro Manila, Philippines: a cross-sectional study

Background: Effective collaboration among nurses is essential for delivering safe and high-quality patient care, particularly in high-acuity environments such as emergency departments. Ineffective collaboration may lead to poor communication, mistrust among team members, and an increased risk of medical errors. Millennials currently comprise a substantial proportion of the global nursing workforce and bring unique communication styles, work values, and career expectations into clinical practice. However, limited evidence exists regarding nurse–nurse collaboration among millennial emergency room nurses in the Philippine healthcare setting. Methods: A quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted among millennial emergency room nurses working in selected government hospitals in Metro Manila, Philippines. A total of 173 respondents were selected through simple random sampling. Data were collected using the Nurse–Nurse Collaboration (NNC) Scale, a validated 22-item instrument measuring four domains: conflict management, common goals, communication and coordination, and professionalism and autonomy. Descriptive statistics, weighted mean, Fisher’s exact test, and Pearson correlation were used to analyze the data. Results: Most respondents were 30 years old and below (38.7%), female (68.8%), and had 2–9 years of clinical experience (76.9%). Respondents reported a high degree of collaboration in all domains including conflict management (M = 1.556), common goals (M = 1.550), communication and coordination (M = 1.633), and professionalism and autonomy (M = 1.586). No significant relationship was found between collaboration and demographic factors such as age and gender (p > 0.05). However, length of experience showed a significant relationship with collaboration in terms of common goals (r = .161, p = .034) and professionalism and autonomy (r = .178, p = .019). Conclusions: Millennial emergency room nurses demonstrated a high level of nurse–nurse collaboration across all domains. While age and gender were not significantly associated with collaboration, clinical experience was positively related to collaboration in specific aspects of professional practice. Strengthening professional development and collaborative workplace cultures may further enhance teamwork and patient care outcomes in emergency departments.