Invisible cobwebs in teamwork-Impediments to the care of patients with heart failure: A qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Team Dynamics in Medicine
• Patient Care Coordination

Background:

• Complex, chronic heart failure (HF) patients necessitate interprofessional teams for comprehensive care.
• Teamwork in healthcare delivery presents inherent challenges in goal achievement.
• Sociocultural differences among Iranian healthcare professionals can impede effective team-based patient care.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore healthcare team members' perceptions of impediments to heart failure (HF) patient care.
• To identify specific challenges hindering interprofessional collaboration in HF management.

Main Methods:

• Utilized unstructured, in-depth interviews with 58 healthcare team members involved in HF patient care.
• Employed verbatim transcription and qualitative content analysis to interpret interview data.

Main Results:

• Identified five key categories of impediments: inefficient supportive networks, inadequate training/treatment, team affectability/variability, arduous working conditions, and physician dominance over nursing.
• A central theme of "Invisible cobwebs in teamwork" emerged, encapsulating the multifaceted barriers.

Conclusions:

• While teamwork is effective, numerous impediments hinder its full potential in HF care.
• Achieving optimal teamwork requires shared authority, integrated team identity, and active management intervention to remove barriers.