Healthcare team resilience during COVID-19: a qualitative study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Systems Engineering
• Team Dynamics in Healthcare
• Resilience Engineering

Background:

• Resilience in healthcare systems involves anticipation, monitoring, adaptation, and learning.
• The COVID-19 pandemic severely challenged US healthcare systems due to resource shortages.
• This research defines healthcare team resilience by its collective identity, purpose, competence, and actions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the resilience of the healthcare team during the COVID-19 pandemic.
• To understand healthcare team resilience as a cognizant, singular source of knowledge.
• To differentiate team resilience from individual or organizational resilience.

Main Methods:

• Developed a descriptive model integrating SEIPS and ADTM models.
• Employed a qualitative descriptive design with individual interviews.
• Utilized thematic analysis to organize data within the adapted model framework.

Main Results:

• Identified five themes: teamwork under pressure, team cohesion, applying past lessons, knowledge gaps, and altruistic behaviors.
• Adaptability was hindered by uncertainty, inconsistent communication, and negative emotions.
• Team cohesion, skill transferability, and altruism enhanced healthcare team performance.

Conclusions:

• COVID-19's unprecedented circumstances impacted healthcare teams' ability to anticipate and adapt.
• Team cohesion and altruistic behavior were key drivers of resilience.
• This study bridges the understanding between individual and organizational resilience in healthcare teams.