Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 14, 2025
Setting Up a Stroke Team Algorithm and Conducting Simulation-based Training in the Emergency Department - A Practical Guide
Published on: January 15, 2017
A Multifaceted Intervention to Improve Teamwork on an Inpatient Pediatric Neurosurgery Service
Insights
Interprofessional training and teamwork interventions significantly improved nurse perceptions of teamwork in pediatric neurosurgery. These targeted social changes enhanced team effectiveness without altering core processes.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Improvement
- Patient Safety
- Interprofessional Education
Background:
- Increased safety reports highlighted interprofessional teamwork issues in a pediatric neurosurgery unit.
- A teamwork-focused improvement effort was initiated to address these concerns.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify opportunities for improving interprofessional teamwork.
- To implement and evaluate interventions aimed at enhancing teamwork perceptions among nurses, advanced practice providers (APPs), and physicians.
Main Methods:
- An interprofessional workgroup was formed, meeting twice monthly.
- A survey assessed teamwork perceptions before and after interventions.
- Interventions included nursing-centered interprofessional education and a rounding checklist.
Main Results:
- Nurse perceptions of teamwork significantly improved in key areas like communication and confidence.
- Mean teamwork effectiveness scores increased from 4.12 to 5.25 (out of 7).
- Interprofessional training was ranked as the most effective intervention by nurses.
Conclusions:
- Interprofessional training, teamwork surveys, and structured debriefing enhanced nurse perceptions of teamwork.
- Interventions focusing on social aspects of change can improve teamwork effectively.
Background:
Increased safety reports related to interprofessional teamwork on an acute care unit at a quaternary children's hospital prompted a teamwork-focused improvement effort on the pediatric neurosurgery service.
Methods:
An interprofessional workgroup was formed and met twice monthly throughout the project. A survey using modified validated items was disseminated to pediatric neurosurgery nurses, advanced practice providers (APPs), and physicians in March 2021 to identify opportunities for improvement. Structured debriefs on survey results promoted discourse on teamwork. The researchers implemented two interventions: (1) nursing-centered interprofessional education and (2) a rounding checklist before redistributing the survey in December 2021.
Results:
Baseline and follow-up survey response rates were 84.1% (58/69) and 71.4% (50/70), respectively. Nurses at baseline perceived lower teamwork scores for 12 items compared to physicians and APPs (p < 0.05). Nurse perceptions improved after interventions in: "using 'we' rather than 'they'" (21.3% vs. 51.2% agree, p = 0.003), "I am confident that this team works effectively" (46.8% vs. 80.5%, p = 0.001), "shared understanding of each other's role on the team" (48.9% vs. 73.2% agree, p = 0.02), and "getting others on the team to listen" (46.8% vs. 75.6%, p = 0.004). Mean teamwork effectiveness improved from 4.12 to 5.25 (out of 7; p < 0.0001). Nurses ranked three interventions as most effective: interprofessional training (35/41, 85.4%), educational clinical pearls (14/41, 34.1%), and structured opportunities to discuss teamwork (10/41, 24.4%).
Conclusion:
Interprofessional training, a teamwork survey, and structured debriefing improved nurse perceptions of teamwork. Interventions targeting social components of change can improve teamwork even without process changes.
Related Concept Videos
01:26Aneurysm III: Interprofessional Care
01:18Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-II
Physical Therapist
A physical therapist (PT) aims to restore function or prevent additional impairment in a patient following an injury or disease. Massage, heat, cold, water, sonar waves, exercises, and electrical stimulation are some treatments used by PTs to treat...
01:21Interdisciplinary Care: The Health Care Team-I
Physicians
The physician's primary responsibility is to diagnose illness and direct the medical or surgical treatment of the condition. The authority to admit patients to a healthcare agency or institution and practice care within that setting is granted to physicians by the healthcare agency or institution...
01:20Acute Kidney Injury V: Interprofessional Care
01:28Acute Coronary Syndrome IV: Interprofessional Care
01:03Nursing Interventions I: Taxonomy of Nursing Interventions
A nursing intervention is a treatment or action based on scientific concepts and knowledge from the nursing, behavioral, and physical sciences. Identifying and prioritizing nursing interventions based on the desired outcome...