Teamwork competence and readiness of emergency nurses in the care of trauma patients: A multicenter cross-sectional study

Abstract

IntroductionEmergency nurse’s teamwork competency and readiness are crucial to improve the quality of care and patient outcome in trauma patients. This study aimed to determine teamwork competence and readiness of emergency nurses in the care of trauma patients. MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted among 230 emergency nurses and nursing assistants in emergency departments of three university hospitals in Iran in 2020. Data were collected using a researcher-made questionnaire on nurses’ readiness and the nontechnical skills scale. ResultsThe mean score for nurses’ readiness was 3.55 ± 0.60 (maximum 5) and for nurses’ teamwork competence was 3.49 ± 0.77 (maximum 5). The significant variables related to teamwork competency were gender and type of hospital. Emergency nurses with master’s degrees, who had completed training courses of advanced trauma life support and triage, their source of information were from seminars’ participations and clinical experiences, and worked at trauma hospital reported a higher level of readiness. Older age and higher work experiences were positively associated with readiness in emergency nurses. ConclusionThe significant variables associated with the teamwork competence and readiness identified in this study may be used to improve the teamwork competence and readiness of emergency nurses in emergency settings.