Abstract
BackgroundEffective teamwork is necessary for optimal patient care. There is insufficient understanding of interactions between physicians and nurses on internal medicine wards.ObjectiveTo describe resident physicians’ and nurses’ actual behaviours contributing to teamwork quality in the setting of a simulated internal medicine ward.MethodsA volunteer sample of 14 pairs of residents and nurses in internal medicine was asked to manage one non-urgent and one urgent clinical case in a simulated ward, using a high-fidelity manikin. After the simulation, participants attended a stimulated-recall session during which they viewed the videotape of the simulation and explained their actions and perceptions. All simulations were transcribed, coded, and analyzed, using a qualitative method (template analysis). Quality of teamwork was assessed, based on patient management efficiency and presence of shared management goals and of team spirit.ResultsMost resident-nurse pairs tended to interact in a traditional way, with residents taking the leadership and nurses executing medical prescriptions and assuming their own specific role. They also demonstrated different types of interactions involving shared responsibilities and decision making, constructive suggestions, active communication and listening, and manifestations of positive team building. The presence of a leader in the pair or a truly shared leadership between resident and nurse contributed to teamwork quality only if both members of the pair demonstrated sufficient autonomy. In case of a lack of autonomy of one member, the other member could compensate for it, if his/her own autonomy was sufficiently strong and if there were demonstrations of mutual listening, information sharing, and positive team building.ConclusionsAlthough they often relied on traditional types of interaction, residents and nurses also demonstrated readiness for increased sharing of responsibilities. Interprofessional education should insist on better redefinition of respective roles and reinforce behaviours shown to enhance teamwork quality.
Highlights
This paper reports on the second phase of a project aimed at exploring the perceptions of resident physicians and nurses about their roles [1] and observing their actual behaviours in practice
Effective teamwork is necessary for optimal patient care
Interprofessional education should insist on better redefinition of respective roles and reinforce behaviours shown to enhance teamwork quality
Summary
This paper reports on the second phase of a project aimed at exploring the perceptions of resident physicians and nurses about their roles [1] and observing their actual behaviours in practice. Five general characteristics of team effectiveness emerged from this study: understanding and respecting team members’ roles; recognizing that creating and maintaining teamwork is an ongoing process; sharing a common understanding of primary health care; having the practical ‘‘knowhow’’ for sharing patient care; and communication [12]. Communication was identified as the essential factor in effective teams [9,12,13]: ‘‘Improving communication would increase understanding, co-operation, and collaboration among team members’’ [12]. In another focus-group study [14], clear goals and attention to teamwork were identified as factors needed for team effectiveness in primary care. There is insufficient understanding of interactions between physicians and nurses on internal medicine wards
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