TeamSTEPPS Teamwork and Nurses' Vigilance in Critical Care: A Cross-Sectional Correlational Study

To examine the association between perceived TeamSTEPPS teamwork and nurses' vigilance among critical care nurses and to determine whether overall perceived teamwork statistically predicts nurses' vigilance.

Vigilance is essential in critical care settings, where nurses must continuously monitor patients and rapidly identify clinical deterioration. Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) is an evidence-based framework that strengthens teamwork through communication, leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and team structure. However, evidence regarding its influence on nurses' vigilance in critical care environments remains limited.

We conducted a cross-sectional descriptive correlational study in accordance with the STROBE guidelines across 24 critical care units at Tanta University Main Hospital. A total of 306 critical care nurses participated. We collected data using a demographic questionnaire, the TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire (T-TPQ), and the Nursing Vigilance Scale (NVS). Descriptive statistics, Pearson's correlation, and simple linear regression analyses were performed using IBM SPSS version 26.0.

Overall TeamSTEPPS teamwork was strongly and positively correlated with nurses' vigilance (r = 0.731, p < 0.001). All TeamSTEPPS dimensions demonstrated significant positive associations with vigilance. Among the teamwork dimensions, situation monitoring (r = 0.659) and leadership (r = 0.648) exhibited the most robust correlations with overall vigilance, while communication recorded the lowest mean percentage score among the teamwork domains.

TeamSTEPPS teamwork was significantly and positively associated with vigilance in critical care settings and was a significant predictor of vigilance scores in the regression model. Due to the cross-sectional nature of the design, these results should be interpreted as statistical associations rather than causal effects. Since teamwork competencies are important for clinical work, further research is needed to explore causal relationships between teamwork competencies, proactive patient monitoring, and patient safety, including longitudinal and intervention studies.

Nursing managers should prioritize strengthening teamwork practices and teamwork-related competencies to improve communication, mutual support, and situational awareness among critical nurses, thereby enhancing vigilance and overall patient safety outcomes.