Nursing teamwork, staff characteristics, work schedules, and staffing

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Nursing Practice
• Organizational Behavior

Background:

• Teamwork is crucial for patient safety and quality of care in acute care settings.
• Understanding factors influencing nursing teamwork is essential for improving healthcare delivery.
• Previous research has identified various elements affecting team dynamics, but specific links to staffing and scheduling require further exploration.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the association between staff characteristics, staffing levels, and work scheduling with the degree of teamwork among nursing staff.
• To identify specific variables within staffing and scheduling that correlate with higher or lower levels of nursing teamwork on hospital patient units.

Main Methods:

• A cross-sectional study involving 1,758 nursing staff members across 38 patient care units in two hospitals.
• Data collected using the Nursing Teamwork Survey in 2008, with a response rate of 56.9%.
• Focus on nursing teams within specific patient care units, including registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, assistive personnel, and unit secretaries.

Main Results:

• Teamwork scores varied significantly across different hospital units, with pediatrics and maternity showing the highest scores, and medical-surgical and emergency units the lowest.
• Nursing staff with less experience, those on 8- or 10-hour shifts, part-time employees, and night shift workers reported higher teamwork.
• Adequate staffing perceptions and fewer patients per shift were positively associated with higher teamwork scores, as was limited overtime.

Conclusions:

• A clear relationship exists between staff attributes, work schedules, staffing adequacy, and the level of nursing teamwork.
• Nursing staff gravitate towards environments with high teamwork, and positive perceptions of staffing directly contribute to enhanced teamwork.
• Minimizing overtime emerged as a key factor correlating with improved teamwork among nursing personnel.