Healthcare teams as complex adaptive systems: Focus on interpersonal interaction

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Team Performance Assessment
• Palliative Care

Background:

• Healthcare teams operate in complex environments requiring effective functioning.
• Assessing team capabilities is crucial for quality improvement initiatives.
• Palliative care teams face unique challenges in complex operational zones.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the feasibility of the Complex Adaptive Leadership (CAL™) Organisational Capability Questionnaire (OCQ).
• To evaluate the usefulness of the CAL™OCQ in identifying areas for healthcare team quality improvement.
• To objectify the functioning of healthcare teams within complex operational zones.

Main Methods:

• The CAL™OCQ was administered to palliative care team members (n=15) and physicians (n=15) in Flanders, Belgium.
• Feasibility and low-scoring topics were explored through group discussions.
• Data analysis included descriptive statistics and one-sample T-tests.

Main Results:

• Participants achieved good to excellent mean scores on the CAL™OCQ.
• Statistically significant differences in sum scores were found within each group (p<0.001).
• Group discussions yielded actionable suggestions for quality improvement, such as enhanced feedback.

Conclusions:

• The CAL™OCQ is a feasible and useful instrument for evaluating palliative care team operations.
• The questionnaire aids in identifying specific areas for quality enhancement.
• The CAL™OCQ shows promise for evaluating diverse healthcare teams and initiating quality improvement efforts.