Role Of Team Leader Research Articles

Cardiopulmonary resuscitation practices in the Netherlands: results from a nationwide survey

BackgroundSurvival rates after in-hospital cardiac arrest are low and vary across hospitals. The ERC guidelines state that more research is needed to explore factors that could influence survival. Research into the role of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) practices is scarce. The goal of this survey is to gain information about CPR practices among hospitals in the Netherlands.MethodsA survey was distributed to all Dutch hospital organizations (n = 77). Items investigated were general hospital characteristics, pre-, peri- and post-resuscitation care. Characteristics were stratified by hospital teaching status.ResultsOut of 77 hospital organizations, 71 (92%) responded to the survey, representing 99 locations. Hospitals were divided into three categories: university hospitals (8%), teaching hospitals (64%) and non-teaching hospitals (28%). Of all locations, 96% used the most recent guidelines for Advanced Life Support and 91% reported the availability of a Rapid Response System. Training frequencies varied from twice a year in 41% and once a year in 53% of hospital locations. The role of CPR team leader and airway manager is most often fulfilled by (resident) anaesthetists in university hospitals (63%), by emergency department professionals in teaching hospitals (43%) and by intensive care professionals in non-teaching hospitals (72%). The role of airway manager is most often attributed to (resident) anaesthetists in university hospitals (100%), and to intensive care professionals in teaching (82%) and non-teaching hospitals (79%).ConclusionThe majority of Dutch hospitals follow the ERC guidelines but there are differences in the presence of an ALS certified physician, intensity of training and participation of medical specialties in the fulfilment of roles within the CPR-team.

The dual effects of task conflict on team creativity

PurposeThe purpose of this paper is to explore the dual effects of task conflict on team creativity and the role of team-focused transformational leadership (TFL) as a key contingency in the task conflict–team creativity relationship.Design/methodology/approachData were collected from 325 teams across ten large companies in South Korea. The study tested the hypothesized moderated mediation model using an SPSS macro (PROCESS, Hayes, 2008).FindingsResults showed that task conflict is directly and positively related to team creativity and is negatively and indirectly related to team creativity via relationship conflict. Furthermore, the study found that team-focused TFL moderates all paths through which task conflict affects team creativity. Specifically, team-focused TFL enhances the positive direct effect of task conflict and alleviates the negative indirect effects of task conflict on team creativity.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough this study could not test the causal chains of the proposed relationships owing to a cross-sectional nature of data, the present research provides theoretical implications for the conflict, leadership and team creativity literatures. The study highlights the role of transformational leadership in the process through which team conflict is managed so as to increase team creativity.Practical implicationsTo capitalize on the creativity-related benefits associated with task conflict, managers will need to pay attention to the role they can play and their leadership that emphasizes collective goals and identity. Managers and team leaders are also expected to intervene in conflict situations to minimize the harmful effect of task conflict that may take place owing to the association between task conflict and relationship conflict.Social implicationsThe findings will have implications for any social contexts where people work together toward common goals. In such contexts, the study emphasizes the role of leadership in teams to use the creative potential associated with different opinions and values regarding what and how work to be completed.Originality/valueThe study’s examination of the dual paths through which task conflict affects team creativity brings insights into why the impact of task conflict on team creativity has been inconsistent or unclear in past research. This paper also articulates a leader’s role in teams in relation to managing team conflict to increase team creativity.

Trauma Technical Skill and Management Exposure for Junior Surgical Residents – The “SAVE Lab 1.0”

The "Surgery for Abdomino-thoracic ViolencE (SAVE)" animate lab engages surgical residents in the management of complex penetrating injuries. We hypothesized that residents will improve their understanding of the management of trauma patients and will perform skills that they have not previously performed in training. Pre- and postlab assessments were reviewed from surgical residents participating in the SAVE lab over 2 years (2017-2018). Residents of varying levels were grouped and reviewed "real-life" trauma scenarios with supplemental imaging. Seniors were tasked with creating injuries while juniors performed as primary surgeons under supervision. Each successive scenario increased in difficulty, from hollow viscus injury and solid organ disruption, to great vessel and cardiac injuries with the goal to "SAVE" the patient. Assessments included a pre- and postlab multiple-choice questionnaire of trauma management knowledge and a survey of completed technical skills. Academic General Surgery residency program. General, Vascular, Urology, and Plastic Surgery PGY1 to PGY5 residents. One hundred and nineteen residents participated in the SAVE lab in 2017 and 2018. PGY1 to PGY4 residents showed significant improvement in knowledge of trauma management on matched pre- and postlab assessments. The most significant improvement was seen in the PGY1 and PGY2 residents, with scores increasing by 21% (p < 0.001) and 13% (p < 0.001), respectively. PGY1-3 residents had a significant increase in new technical skills acquisition. PGY5 residents showed no significant changes in either realm. The SAVE lab was effective in increasing junior surgical residents' technical skills as well as fund of knowledge related to complex trauma care. While seniors had previously performed most of these skills as reflected in their assessments, the SAVE lab provided a way for them to assume the role of team leader, guiding management of complex, and high acuity situations. Future endeavors include teamwork and leadership skills' assessment through the SAVE lab.

Assessment of Emergency Medicine Resident Performance in an Adult Simulation Using a Multisource Feedback Approach.

IntroductionThe Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) specifically notes multisource feedback (MSF) as a recommended means of resident assessment in the emergency medicine (EM) Milestones. High-fidelity simulation is an environment wherein residents can receive MSF from various types of healthcare professionals. Previously, the Queen’s Simulation Assessment Tool (QSAT) has been validated for faculty to assess residents in five categories: assessment; diagnostic actions; therapeutic actions; interpersonal communication, and overall assessment. We sought to determine whether the QSAT could be used to provide MSF using a standardized simulation case.MethodsProspectively after institutional review board approval, residents from a dual ACGME/osteopathic-approved postgraduate years (PGY) 1–4 EM residency were consented for participation. We developed a standardized resuscitation after overdose case with specific 1–5 Likert anchors used by the QSAT. A PGY 2–4 resident participated in the role of team leader, who completed a QSAT as self-assessment. The team consisted of a PGY-1 peer, an emergency medical services (EMS) provider, and a nurse. Two core faculty were present to administer the simulation case and assess. Demographics were gathered from all participants completing QSATs. We analyzed QSATs by each category and on cumulative score. Hypothesis testing was performed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC), with 95% confidence intervals. Interpretation of ICC results was based on previously published definitions.ResultsWe enrolled 34 team leader residents along with 34 nurses. A single PGY-1, a single EMS provider and two faculty were also enrolled. Faculty provided higher cumulative QSAT scores than the other sources of MSF. QSAT scores did not increase with team leader PGY level. ICC for inter-rater reliability for all sources of MSF was 0.754 (0.572–0.867). Removing the self-evaluation scores increased inter-rater reliability to 0.838 (0.733–0.910). There was lesser agreement between faculty and nurse evaluations than from the EMS or peer evaluation.ConclusionIn this single-site cohort using an internally developed simulation case, the QSAT provided MSF with excellent reliability. Self-assessment decreases the reliability of the MSF, and our data suggest self-assessment should not be a component of MSF. Use of the QSAT for MSF may be considered as a source of data for clinical competency committees.

Medical emergencies in rural North Queensland: Doctors perceptions of the training needs.

This study aimed to explore doctors' perceptions of the training needs of rural doctors in the context of managing emergencies in rural North Queensland. Using a qualitative approach, 20 semistructured interviews were conducted via telephone, video conference and in-person. Using an interview guide, areas such as preparedness of junior doctors for rural practice, areas for further training and confidence with managing emergencies were discussed. Interviews were analysed using the principles of grounded theory. Participant recruitment continued until data saturation was achieved. Multiple health facilities across three hospital and health services in North Queensland. (i) Doctors with current or recent work in rural North Queensland; (ii) doctors involved with rural medical training; and (iii) emergency medicine specialists working in a tertiary referral centre. Perspectives of doctors on the training needs of rural doctors in North Queensland. Rural doctors were found to be as prepared as they could be to take up rural practice; however, they still had training needs. Region-specific emergencies, access to regular in-house simulations and non-medical challenges, including understanding local team dynamics and taking on a team leader role, were seen as key training needs. Senior doctors indicated that further formal and informal on-the-job training were required for provisional fellows with limited experience in the emergency department. Certain training needs of rural doctors still remain unmet. Further access to in-house simulations and tele-training could be useful strategies to meet these training needs to further support rural doctors.

Servant leadership and the Scrum team’s effectiveness

PurposeScrum is a development methodology that has been rapidly gaining popularity over the last decade particularly for software development teams. The Scrum master is sometimes viewed as a servant leader of the Scrum team. The purpose of this paper is to investigate to what extent Scrum masters actually make use of servant leadership and how this impacts on the team’s effectiveness via mediating processes.Design/methodology/approachThe research followed a quantitative approach. An online questionnaire was prepared and completed by 71 Scrum team members (excluding Scrum masters) and 22 Scrum masters in more than ten organizations based in Western Cape, South Africa.FindingsScrum masters in this sample extensively used the servant leadership approach, but those who are also appointed as formal team leaders are seen to be considerably better servant leaders by team members. There is a moderately strong correlation between servant leadership of the Scrum master and team effectiveness. It was found that high levels of psychological safety do not necessarily translate into team performance.Research limitations/implicationsResearch was only performed at the unit level of analysis and not the team or organizational level. This was a cross-sectional study and variations over time were not considered.Practical implicationsThe results confirm the importance of servant leadership skills when identifying and developing Scrum masters, appointing the formal team leader role in Scrum teams and implementing Scrum practices effectively.Originality/valueAs could be established, this is the first time that the role of servant leadership in Scrum teams was formally investigated.

Breaking the cycle: The effects of role model performance and ideal leadership self-concepts on abusive supervision spillover.

Building on identity theories and social learning theory, we test the notion that new leaders will model the abusive behaviors of their superiors only under certain conditions. Specifically, we hypothesize that new leaders will model abusive supervisory behaviors when (a) abusive superiors are perceived to be competent, based on the performance of their teams and (b) new leaders' ideal leadership self-concepts are high on tyranny or low on sensitivity. Results of an experiment in which we manipulated abusive supervisory behaviors using a professional actor, and created a role change where 93 individuals moved from team member to team leader role, generally support our hypotheses. We found the strongest association between abuse exposure and new leader abuse under conditions where the abusive superior's team performed well and the new team leaders' self-concepts showed low concern for others. (PsycINFO Database Record

Followership in complex trauma

Recent conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have highlighted the importance of human factors in complex trauma management. A reorganisation of trauma services in England has led to the creation of Major Trauma Centres and Major Trauma Collaboratives, with dedicated Trauma Teams. Much attention has been devoted to the role of team leader and leadership skills, with the human factor concept of followership largely overlooked. This article examines the importance of followership in the trauma team, scrutinising several different followership styles. Followership should be highlighted during trauma team training, promoting the practice of good followership to support the team leader and improve patient care.

Promoting Best Practice in Assessment and Intervention: The Challenges of Working in Times of Cutbacks and Change

Promoting Best Practice in Assessment and Intervention: The Challenges of Working in Times of Cutbacks and Change

New Survey Process Features Retooled Regulations, F-Tags

New Survey Process Features Retooled Regulations, F-Tags

Emergence of team engagement under time pressure: role of team leader and team climate

PurposeThis paper aims to identify the determinants of team engagement emerging as a collective team-level phenomenon under time pressure context. The paper particularly explores how teams working under time pressure conditions use their social resources to develop into highly engaged teams.Design/methodology/approachThe paper develops a conceptual framework along with related propositions by integrating diverse literature from the field of team processes, leadership and engagement. The arguments are theoretically embedded into the job demands-resources (JD-R) model to explain the emergence of team engagement under time pressure conditions.FindingsThe suggested conceptual model based on the JD-R model reveal that teams working under time pressure conditions view it as a challenging job demand and, hence, use their social resources as a coping mechanism, thereby developing into highly engaged teams. However, the paper finds that for team engagement to emerge under time pressure, teams require two important determinants. These two main determinants are team leader engaging behaviors and team climate. Engaging team leader’s behaviors include four sub-components: emotional agility, use of humor, efficient delegation and quality of feedback. Team climate constitute three sub-components: open communication, fun at work and compassion within the team. Only teams which have a strong team climate and team leaders’ engaging behaviors tend to have high team engagement under time pressure contexts.Research limitations/implicationsThe paper offers implications for both HR and line managers in team-based organizations to promote factors that enhance team engagement, for teams to perform under time pressure situations.Originality/valueThe paper identifies determinants of team engagement under time pressure context and further adds to the understanding of team processes by theoretically exploring how time pressure as a job demand can be channeled in a positive manner for promoting team engagement by using teams’ social resources: team leader’s engaging behaviors and team climate.

Predictors of Perceived Educational Value in Emergency Medicine Residency Simulation Cases.

This study was designed to identify characteristics associated with the perceived educational value of simulation cases in an emergency medicine residency curriculum. Following 17 individual emergency medicine simulation cases, a standard feedback questionnaire was completed by emergency medicine residents. Multiple linear regression was performed to identify significant variables that predict perceived educational value. A total of 374 feedback responses were analyzed from 60 residents over a 2-year period. Complete data for inclusion in a regression analysis were available for 288 responses. The linear regression has an R2 value of 0.979, indicating that the model explains nearly 98% of the variation. The perceived usefulness of the simulation cases, PGY, and the reported the stressfulness of the exercise were all positively associated with perceived benefit. Familiarity with the clinical scenario, role of team leader, and perceived difficulty of the scenario did not influence the residents' perception of benefit. Multiple variables related to the scenario and the participants contribute to the perceived educational value of simulation cases in an emergency medicine residency curriculum. Specific predictors of educational value were PGY, stressfulness, and perceived utility. Being team leader, the familiarity of the scenario, or the perceived difficulty of the case did not influence the reported educational value. Recognition of these variables should help educators involved in the creation of educationally valuable simulation cases in the future.

Two Hour Evaluation and Referral Model for Shorter Turnaround Times in the emergency department.

The objective of this study was to assess the implementation of a novel ED model of care, which combines clinical streaming, team-based assessment and early senior consultation to reduce length of stay. A pre-post-intervention study was used to compare ED performance following an extensive clinical redesign programme. Clinical teams and work sequences were reconfigured to promote the role of the staff specialist, with a focus on earlier decisions regarding disposition. Primary outcome measures were ED length of stay and National Emergency Access Target (NEAT) compliance. Secondary outcomes included referral and workup times, wait times by triage category, ambulance offload times, ward discharges and unit transfers within 24 h of admission, representation within 48 h, and Medical Emergency Response Team (MERT) calls within 24 h of admission. Two seasonally matched 26 week intervals were compared with adjustment for demographics, triage category and arrival by ambulance. Overall, there was an 18.4% rise in NEAT performance (95% confidence interval (CI): 17.7-19.1) while ED length of stay decreased by a total of 86.8 min (95% CI: 83.6-90.1). Time series analysis did not suggest any preexisting trends to explain these results. The average time to referral decreased by 74.7 min (95% CI: 69.8-79.6) and waiting times decreased across all triage categories. Rates of MERT activation and unplanned representation were unchanged. A facilitated team leader role for senior doctors can help to reduce length of stay by via early disposition, without significant risks to the patient.

Team goal orientation composition, team efficacy, and team performance: The separate roles of team leader and members

AbstractThis study aims to examine team goal orientation composition regarding the different roles of a leader’s and team members’ collective goal orientation, and the effects of these on team outcomes. Data included 268 respondents from 64 teams. Results showed team members’ learning goal orientation has positive effect on team performance, mediated by team efficacy. Further, for the role of team leader, the results also revealed the same pattern. Study also showed a leader’s performance goal orientation has negatively related on team performance, mediated by team efficacy. Finally, taking both roles simultaneously, study indicated the interaction between a leader’s and members’ performance goal orientation has negatively related to team efficacy, and the interaction between a leader’s and members’ learning goal orientation has negatively related to team performance. This research contributes to the existing goal orientation theory by taking the different roles of team leader and members into consideration.

Emergency medicine in the general practice internship in Finnmark county.

It is preferred that duty doctors in municipal health services participate in call-outs in emergency situations. The frequency of participation has previously been shown to vary. We wanted to examine the newly qualified doctors’ expectations and experiences – both before and after the general practice internship – of emergency medicine and ambulance call-outs. All 23 of the interns who were to undertake their general practice internship in Finnmark county in the period 2015–16 answered a questionnaire and participated in a focus group interview before the start of the internship. Twenty-one of the interns participated in the focus group interview after completing the internship. Each doctor took part in two interviews. We analysed the transcripts from the focus group interviews using the grounded theory method. The responses from the questionnaire before the general practice internship showed that the interns felt they needed more training in intravenous cannulation and in teamwork. Their expectations in connection with the challenges of call-outs are best characterised by the core category ‘Can I do anything useful?’ from the focus groups before the internship. After the internship, however, the core category ‘It all went well in the end’, was the best fit. Due to short transport times and their knowledge of certain patients, some of the doctors chose not to take part in call-outs. During the general practice internship, the interns were initially anxious about whether they might be superfluous in call-outs, but eventually found their footing in the call-out role. The study shows that there is a need for more practice in certain practical procedures, and that doctors’ non-technical skills need to be improved. This can be done through training in team leader roles before the general practice internship.

Role of Oral Health Professional as Team Care for Diabetes Mellitus

India leads the world with largest number of diabetic patients and is termed as “Diabetes capital of the world.” Diabetes mellitus is a major public health problem with incidence rising rapidly at alarming rate. To reduce both the acute and chronic complications arising from diabetes, one needs to provide continuous, proactive, planned, patient-centered, and population-based care through team approach. Team care is the key component of health-care reform initiatives that incorporate an integrated health-care delivery system, especially those for chronic disease prevention and management. Team care can minimize patients' risks of diabetes by assessment, intervention, and surveillance to identify problems early and initiate timely treatment. Oral health-care professionals play an important role as part of the health-care team by providing oral care to patients with or at-risk for diabetes. Collaborative teamwork among dentists and other medical professionals calls for a new model of care, with the dentist playing a leadership role both internally, within the oral health profession, and externally, in relation to other health professions. The increasing focus of dentistry on team effort requires dentists to assume the role of team leader as they are in the front line of prevention, early detection, and treatment of both oral and systemic diseases, and are in a good position to provide screening, diagnosis, and referral services for systemic diseases. Team care is likely to play a major role in future health-care systems designed to provide comprehensive lifetime prevention and management of chronic diseases such as diabetes.

A Comparison of Observed vs Self-Rated Teamwork During Simulated Cardiac Arrest and Rapid Response Scenarios

SESSION TITLE: Education SESSION TYPE: Original Investigation Slide PRESENTED ON: Tuesday, October 25, 2016 at 02:45 PM - 04:15 PM PURPOSE: The process of individual learning includes recognizing one’s own deficiencies. Likewise, identification of team deficiencies is fundamental to remediate them, in order to improve team performance especially for critical situations. Little is known regarding self-assessment of team leadership and teamwork skills. We hypothesized that physicians overestimate their leadership and teamwork skills when managing critical scenarios such as cardiac arrest and rapid response scenarios (CA/RRS), as compared to trained external observers. METHODS: First-year Internal Medicine residents (n=48) were divided into seven groups and each participated in 8 simulated RR/CA cases using high-fidelity simulation. Residents alternated between team leader and other team member roles. Each group participated in 2 cases, followed by a lecture on teamwork during CA/RRS, and then participated in 6 additional simulated cases. The 16-item validated Mayo High Performance Teamwork Scale was completed independently by an experienced faculty member observer and by each individual resident for each case. RESULTS: A total of 55 simulated cases were run, with a total of 55 observer and 269 resident self-assessment scores collected. Overall, the self-assessed teamwork score was significantly higher as compared to the experienced observer-graded teamwork score (1.541 +/- 0.36 vs 1.183 +/- 0.47, p-value <0.01). On 11 of the 16 Mayo scale items, self-assessment was significantly higher than observed scoring. There was no significant difference noted only in identifying team leadership, understanding own role in the team, good communication practices, solving conflicts without losing situation awareness, and demonstrating appropriate task management skills. CONCLUSIONS: Internal residents overestimate their teamwork and leadership skills when compared to an external observer’s assessment. However, there is good agreement between objective and self-assessment in identifying a leader, clarifying team roles, use of good communication and effective task management. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS: Residents inflated self-assessment of their teamwork and leadership skills may produce false self-confidence and potentially hinder the learning of effective teamwork skills. DISCLOSURE: The following authors have nothing to disclose: Alfredo Lee Chang, Akiva Dym, Maneesha Bangar, Adam Keene, Marjan Rahmanian, Nida Qadir, Lewis Eisen No Product/Research Disclosure Information

A three factor model of followership, part 2: research on the three factor model and its application to team roles

Purpose The purpose of this three-part paper is to point out that while there is an extensive body of theory and research on leadership, less attention has been given to other roles, particularly follower roles. The authors outlined a three factor model of leadership and suggested it could be applied to followership. In the second part of the paper, the authors present empirical evidence on the three factor model of leadership and its application to the full range of team roles, including follower, co-worker and leader roles. In the third part of the paper the authors present and discuss further evidence specifically on follower behaviour. Design/methodology/approach In this part of the paper, the authors present evidence on the internal reliability and external validity of three self-assessment instruments, two on leadership behaviour and one on team role behaviours. Evidence is provided from a diverse group of managers, mainly in the UK public sector. Individuals completed a variety of self-assessment instruments and, in some cases, had 360 degree assessments completed on them, and provided evidence on contextual variables. The methodology involves looking at the degree of correlation, and its statistical significance, between variables. Findings The three self-assessment instruments, two on leadership and one on team roles, were found to possess satisfactory levels of both internal reliability and external validity, consistent with the three factor model. These findings lent support to the three factor model of leadership, to its extension and application to followership, and to the reliability and validity of the three self-assessment instruments. Research limitations/implications Effective organisations need effective followers and effective leaders. Moreover, the skills of the effective leader develop out of and build on those of the effective follower. The research was based mainly on individuals in the public sector in the UK. It would be useful to extend such research to other contexts. Practical implications Given that the skills of the effective leader develop out of and build on those of the effective follower, the training of effective followers is seen to underpin that of effective leaders. Social implications The finding that the skills of the effective leader develop out of build on those of the effective follower challenges the widely held pre-occupation with leadership, the idea that leadership is qualitatively different from and superior to followership. Thus it challenges the cult of leadership. Originality/value This paper is the first published attempt to successfully apply the three factor model of leadership to team roles in general, including follower, co-worker and leader roles. In the third part of this paper, the three factor model is applied specifically to follower roles. Ways of measuring leader and follower roles are developed and used to identify follower behaviours, as well as to make possible the identification of behaviours valued when used by followers, based on 360 degree assessments.

Time Perception during Neonatal Resuscitation

To assess the accuracy of time perception during a simulated complex neonatal resuscitation. Participants in 5 neonatal resuscitation program courses were directly involved in a complex simulation scenario. They were asked to assume the role of team leader, assistant 1, or assistant 2. At the end of the scenario, each participant completed a questionnaire on perceived time intervals for key resuscitation interventions. During the scenario, actual times were documented by an external observer and video recorded for later review. In addition, participants were asked to evaluate their self-perceived level of stress and preparation. Health care providers (68 physicians and 40 nurses) were involved in 36 scenarios. Perceived time intervals for the initiation of key resuscitation interventions were shorter than the actual time intervals, regardless of the participant's role in the scenario. Self-assessed levels of stress and preparation did not influence time perception. Health care providers underestimate the passage of time, irrespective of their role in a simulated complex neonatal resuscitation. Participant's self-assessed levels of stress and preparation were not related to the accuracy of their time perception. These findings highlight the importance of assigning a dedicated individual to document interventions and the passage of time during a neonatal resuscitation.

Nursing team leader handover in the intensive care unit contains diverse and inconsistent content: An observational study

BackgroundDespite a proliferation of evidence and the development of standardised tools to improve communication at handover, evidence to guide the handover of critical patient information between nursing team leaders in the intensive care unit is limited. ObjectiveThe study aim was to determine the content of information handed over during intensive care nursing team leader shift-to-shift handover. DesignA prospective observational study. SettingA 21-bed medical/surgical adult intensive care unit specialising in cardiothoracic surgery at a tertiary referral hospital in Queensland, Australia. ParticipantsSenior nurses (Grade 5 and 6 Registered nurses) working in team leader roles, employed in the intensive care unit were sampled. MethodAfter obtaining consent from nursing staff, team leader handovers were audiotaped over 20 days. Audio recordings were transcribed and analysed using deductive and inductive content analysis. The frequency of content discussed at handover that fell within the a priori categories of the ISBAR schema (Identify-Situation-Background-Assessment-Recommendation) was calculated. ResultsForty nursing team leader handovers were recorded resulting in 277 patient handovers and a median of 7 (IQR 2) patients discussed at each handover. The majority of nurses discussed the Identity (99%), Situation (96%) and Background (88%) of the patient, however Assessment (69%) content was varied and patient Recommendations (60%) were discussed less frequently. A diverse range of additional information was discussed that did not fit into the ISBAR schema. ConclusionsDespite universal acknowledgement of the importance of nursing team leader handover, there are no previous studies assessing its content. Study findings indicate that nursing team leader handovers contain diverse and inconsistent content, which could lead to inadequate handovers that compromise patient safety. Further work is required to develop structured handover processes for nursing team leader handovers.