Functions of behavior change interventions when implementing multi-professional teamwork at an emergency department:...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Organizational Psychology
• Behavioral Science

Background:

• Implementing multi-professional teamwork in healthcare is complex and challenging.
• Limited understanding exists on how behavior change interventions influence staff behavior.
• Need for studies on the functions and mechanisms of behavior change interventions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To analyze the function and impact of behavior change interventions in multi-professional teamwork using applied behavior analysis.
• To understand the behavioral mechanisms driving staff behavior change during teamwork implementation.

Main Methods:

• Comparative case study design in an emergency department.
• Data collection through observations, interviews, and document analysis.
• Thematic analysis of behavior change interventions (DCOM® model) and applied behavior analysis.

Main Results:

• Different interventions led to varying degrees of staff behavior change.
• Successful implementation involved ongoing problem-solving and clear directions.
• Managerial feedback initially motivated teamwork, later replaced by positive task-generated feedback.

Conclusions:

• Applied behavior analysis provides insight into behavioral mechanisms of interventions.
• Enabling interventions, managerial, and task-related feedback interact and have complementary functions.
• Understanding these interactions is key for effective teamwork implementation.