Nursing teamwork and unit size
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 4, 2026
An Educational Video Demonstration of How to Prone a Critically Ill Intubated Patient
Published on: November 30, 2022
Beatrice J Kalisch1, Katherine Russell, Kyung Hee Lee
1University of Michigan, School of Nursing, 400 North Ingalls Street, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA. bkalisch@umich.edu
Abstract:
The aim of this study is to determine the relationship between the team and unit size and level of nursing teamwork. The sample for the study was 2,265 direct care nursing providers from 53 units in four hospitals. Pearson correlation coefficients were calculated to determine if five variables to measure unit size (average daily census, number of registered nurses, number of nursing assistants [NAs], and number of total staff) correlated with teamwork overall and with five teamwork subscales (trust, team orientation, backup, shared mental model, and leadership). A significant negative correlation was found between nursing teamwork overall and the number of NAs, and average daily census. To optimize nursing unit teamwork, consideration needs to be given to strategies to reduce the size of nursing teams.
Related Concept Videos
01:30Current Trends in Nursing II
01:29Levels of Communication I: Intrapersonal, Interpersonal, and Small Group
We can participate in these relationships through verbal, nonverbal, and mediated communication. We engage in verbal communication when we use words during our interaction to convey specific meanings. On the other hand, nonverbal communication refers to various factors that can impact how we understand each other—for example, facial expressions.
We interact with others using mediated technologies like the...
01:28Current Trends in Nursing I
01:23Nurses' Legal Responsibilities II
Communication between nurses and...
01:15Nursing Implementation
The five steps to implementing effective nursing care include reassessing the patient, reviewing and revising the existing nursing care plan, organizing the resources and care delivery, anticipating and preventing complications, and implementing nursing interventions.
01:30National Nursing Organizations II
The AACN emphasizes a healthy work environment through six standards to achieve an optimal patient outcome. The standards are appropriate staffing, meaningful recognition, collaboration, authentic leadership, effective communication, and decision-making. In addition, AACN provides certification programs, webinars, journals, and...