Team Structure Research Articles

Key performance measurement capabilities for managing distributed teams

Distributed teams are a reality for several companies nowadays, many authors covered their benefits and problems, and the rate of adoption of such team's structure by companies is growing fast. Since these teams are more present in companies, a performance measurement system must get adapted to fulfill the gap of not having a vast theory about the subject. To fill that gap, this paper brings results from previous steps in the research (Systematic Literature Review and Qualitative analysis of the data). It presents to a group of experts to reach a consensus on which capabilities are essential to managing/developing distributed teams’ performance. The experts were exposed to the information following a Delphi Panel format and provided output that reached consensus and refined the list. The experts indicated that a group of six capabilities (engagement, development of a culture of performance measurement, organizational learning, alignment between planning and execution, accurate information and consistency) are essential to have their performance measurement system working correctly and reaching all functions. The work also identified the success factors for virtual teams, providing directions for the adoption and the monitoring of this kind of team that gained importance during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Understanding the Impact of Medicaid-Serving Primary Care Team Functioning and Clinical Context on Cancer Care Treatment Quality: Implications for Addressing Structural Inequities.

Primary care factors related to Medicaid enrollees' receipt of guideline concordant cancer treatment is understudied; however, team structure and processes likely affect care disparities. We explore Medicaid-serving primary care teams functioning within multiteam systems to understand performance variations in quality of breast and colorectal cancer care. We conducted a comparative case study, using critical case sampling of primary care clinics in New Jersey, to provide maximum variation on clinic-level care performance rates (Medicaid enrollees' receipt of guideline-concordant treatment). Site evaluations, conducted from 2019 to 2020, included observation (2-3 days) and interviews. Using a multistep analytic process, we explored contextual factors within primary care that may contribute to cancer care performance variations. We identified performance variations stemming from adaptations of multiteam system inputs and processes on the basis of contextual factors (ie, business model, clinic culture). Team 1 (average performer), part of a multisite safety-net clinic system, mainly teamed outside their organization, relying on designated roles, protocol-based care, and quality improvement informed by within-team metrics. Team 2 (high performer), part of a for-profit health system, remained mission-driven to improve urban health, teamed exclusively with internal teams through electronically enabled information exchange and health system-wide quality improvement efforts. Team 3 (low performer), a physician-owned private practice with minimal teaming, accepted Medicaid enrollees to diversify their payer mix and relied on referral-based care with limited consideration of social barriers. Primary care team structures and processes variations may (in part) explain performance variations. Future research aiming to improve care quality for Medicaid populations should consider primary care teams' capacity and context in relation to composite teams to support care quality improvements in subsequent prospective trials.

Interprofessional skills as a predictor of culturally congruent practice behaviors.

Evidence suggests that the development and implementation of interprofessional skills can positively impact culturally congruent practice among providers and patients, improving access and quality of care. Exploring the relationship between interprofessional skills and culturally congruent practice within health profession education can inform curricular efforts that better prepare the emerging workforce to provide accessible, high-quality care. This study examined if interprofessional skills predict culturally congruent practice behaviors in an interprofessional health care simulation with Master of Social Work and Master of Science in Nursing students (N = 79). Simple linear regressions were conducted to evaluate whether interprofessional skills, across five domains (team structure, leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication) in the Performance Assessment Communication and Teamwork, significantly predicted culturally congruent practice behaviors, overall and across three subscales (culturally specific care; cultural assessment; and culturally sensitive and professionally appropriate attitudes, values, and beliefs), in the Cultural Competence Clinical Evaluation Tool-Student Version. Among the sample, the interprofessional skill domains of leadership, situation monitoring, and communication predicted culturally congruent practice behaviors overall. Additionally, results indicated that communication predicted culturally specific care; team structure, leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication predicted cultural assessment; and communication, situation monitoring, and leadership predicted culturally sensitive and professionally appropriate attitudes, values, and beliefs. Opportunities to learn and practice interprofessional skills within health profession curricula may predict Master of Social Work and Master of Science in Nursing students' culturally congruent practice behaviors; implications and limitations are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Invisible clinical labor driving the successful integration of AI in healthcare

Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning (AI/ML) tools are changing the landscape of healthcare decision-making. Vast amounts of data can lead to efficient triage and diagnosis of patients with the assistance of ML methodologies. However, more research has focused on the technological challenges of developing AI, rather than the system integration. As a result, clinical teams' role in developing and deploying these tools has been overlooked. We look to three case studies from our research to describe the often invisible work that clinical teams do in driving the successful integration of clinical AI tools. Namely, clinical teams support data labeling, identifying algorithmic errors and accounting for workflow exceptions, translating algorithmic output to clinical next steps in care, and developing team awareness of how the tool is used once deployed. We call for detailed and extensive documentation strategies (of clinical labor, workflows, and team structures) to ensure this labor is valued and to promote sharing of sociotechnical implementation strategies.

A Virtual Inpatient Psychiatry Unit in a Multicampus Health Care System During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

A virtual, telehealth-based inpatient psychiatric unit was implemented in a multicampus health care system to care for patients involuntarily admitted under emergency hold laws who tested positive for COVID-19. Through a multidisciplinary approach, these patients received proper general medical and psychiatric treatments. This column describes the development and operationalization of the unit in terms of team structure, patient referral and admission, patient and staff safety, general medical and psychiatric treatments, and discharge planning. The results of this virtual approach to caring for patients with both COVID-19 and acute mental illness illustrate the potential of a multidimensional approach for improving care efficiency during public health emergencies.

Worldwide snapshot of trauma team structure and training: an international survey.

Trauma teams (TTs) are a key tool in trauma care, as they bring a multidisciplinary approach to the trauma patient, improving outcomes. Excellent teamwork (TW) requires not only individual skills but also training at non-technical skills (NTS). Although there is evidence supporting TTs, there is little information regarding how they are organized and trained. With this study, we intend to assess the reality of TTs all over the world, focusing on how they are organized and trained. We composed a 42-question sheet on Google Forms, in four different languages (English, Polish, Portuguese, and Spanish). The questions regarded the respondents' background, and their respective hospitals' trauma patient management, TT features and its training, NTS and TW. The survey was shared on social media, through the International Assessment Group of Online Surgical & Trauma Education community, and the European Society of Trauma and Emergency Surgery. Statistical analysis was performed on Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS®) version 27. We obtained 296 answers from 52 different countries, with 6 having at least 10 answers (Brazil, Portugal, Poland, Spain, Italy, and USA). While the majority of the respondents (97%) agreed that TTs can improve outcomes, only 61% have a TT in their hospital, with 69% of these being dedicated TTs. General surgery (76%), trauma surgery (68%), and anesthesia (66%) were the three most common specialties in the teams. Teams performed briefings and debriefings with a frequency of, at least, "often" in only 49% and 38%, respectively. Only 50% and 33% of the respondents stated that their hospital provided trauma management courses focusing on individual technical skills, and TT training courses, respectively. The Advanced Trauma Life Support (85%), the Definitive Surgical and Anesthetic Trauma Care (38%), and the European Trauma Course (31%) were the three trauma management courses of choice. Regarding TT training courses, the European Trauma Course (52%) and local/in-house (42%) courses were the most common ones. Most participants (93%) stated that NTS were highly important in trauma care. However, only 60% of the respondents had postgraduate training on NTS and TW, and only 24% had this type of training on an undergraduate level. The number of TTs worldwide does not match their relevance in trauma care. Institutions are not providing enough trauma courses, particularly TT training courses and NTS teaching. Implementing TT should include promotion of team courses, as well as team briefings and debriefings.

Implementing best practice occupational therapist-led environmental assessment and modification to prevent falls: A qualitative study of two regional and rural public health services in Australia.

Occupational therapist-led environmental assessment and modification (EAM) is effective in reducing falls for populations at high risk. Two regional and rural public health services in Queensland devised an implementation strategy to embed best practice occupational therapist-led EAM. A qualitative study was conducted to compare the determinants of implementation success across the different health services, using the COM-B model of behaviour change. Six semi-structured interviews were completed with occupational therapists involved at each site, following 12 months of implementation. Interview data were triangulated with minutes from three combined site steering committee meetings, eight local steering committee meetings, and field notes. Thematic analysis was completed to compare barriers and facilitators to best practice uptake of EAM and differences in outcomes between the two sites. Both sites commenced implementation with similar states of capability and motivation. After 12 months, one site considered that practice change had been embedded as noted in steering committee minutes and comments; however, the other site observed limited progress. According to the COM-B analysis, opportunity (the factors that lie outside the individual's control) had a significant influence on how both sites were able to respond to the practice change and navigate some of the unexpected challenges that emerged, including the COVID-19 pandemic. Existing team structure, multiple responsibilities of key stakeholders, differences in access to resources, and lack of connection between complementary services meant that COVID-19 disruptions were only a catalyst for unveiling other systemic issues. This study highlights the power of external factors on influencing behaviour change for best practice implementation. Learnings from the study will provide deeper understanding of completing implementation projects in regional and rural contexts and support the future implementation of EAM in occupational therapy clinical settings.

Ecological interchangeability: supporting team adaptive expertise in moments of disruption.

While undesirable, unexpected disruptions offer unique opportunities to enact adaptive expertise. For adaptive expertise to flourish, individuals and teams must embrace both efficiency and adaptation. While some industries do it readily, others continue to struggle with the tension between efficiency and adaptation, particularly when otherwise stable situations are unexpectedly disrupted. For instance, in healthcare settings, the efficiency mandate for strict compliance with scopes of practice can deter teams from using the adaptive strategy of making their members interchangeable. Yet, interchangeability has been hinted as a key capacity of today' teams that are required to navigate fluid team structures. Because interchangeability - as an adaptive strategy - can generate antagonistic reactions, it has not been well studied in fluid teams. Thus, in this exploratory qualitative study we sought to gain insights into how interchangeability manifests when fluid teams from five different contexts (healthcare, emergency services, orchestras, military, and business) deal with disruptive events. According to our participants, successful interchangeability was possible when people knew how to work within one's role while being aware of their teammates' roles. However, interchangeability included more than just role switching. Interchangeability took various forms and was most successful when teams capitalized on the procedural, emotional, and social dimensions of their work. To reflect this added complexity, we refer to interchangeability in fluid teams as Ecological Interchangeability. We suggest that ecological interchangeability may become a desired feature in the training of adaptive expertise in teams, if its underlying properties and enabling mechanisms are more fully understood.

Directions and recommendations for enterprises to overcome crises using anticipatory teams

Anticipatory management plays an important role in the quality functioning and development of the enterprise, which determines the relevance of the study of the selected problem. The purpose of the article is to substantiate the importance of anticipatory management in the management of agricultural enterprises through the introduction of anticipatory teams into the organizational structure, which was caused by the destabilization of the external and internal environment in the conditions of the RussianUkrainian war. During the research, general scientific and special methods were used: analysis and synthesis, abstract-logical. The types of crisis situations that may occur on the enterprise have been studied. The main factor of the onset of the crisis in agricultural enterprises of Ukraine has been determined. Special attention is paid to the consequences of Russian military aggression. An analysis of the main performance indicators of agricultural enterprises was carried out. The share of Ukrainian companies that have anticipative teams was determined. The urgency of forming anticipatory teams in agricultural enterprises is indicated, which is a necessary means of forecasting and overcoming all possible crises. The basic structure of the company's anticipatory team has been formed. It was established that solving the current crisis problems requires the involvement of specialists both at the state level and consultants from international organizations. It is recommended to create anticipatory teams at the level of agricultural enterprises, which will provide an opportunity for producers to quickly respond to crisis situations; it will be appropriate to implement the recommendations developed by the anticipatory team of donors. Thus, this study brings new knowledge about the specifics of the functioning of anticipatory teams and has practical value for Ukrainian agricultural enterprises in overcoming the consequences of crisis situations, including the Russian-Ukrainian war

Organisational capabilities for successful digital transformation: a global analysis of national football associations in the digital age

PurposeThe aim of this study is to identify organisational capabilities (OC) for a successful digital transformation (DT) and associated structures of internal teams to orchestrate and support DT.Design/methodology/approachAn explorative, qualitative study, comprising semi-structured interviews with 82 executives from 43 diverse National Football Associations (NFA) spread across five continents was conducted.FindingsThe results show that organisational culture, strategic sensitivity, up-to-date ICT-infrastructure, a digitally skilled workforce, leadership support, knowledge management and internal DT-teams are important capabilities to enable successful DT.Research limitations/implicationsDue to the different levels of maturity of digitalisation and the financial constraints, not every NFA intends or is able to assign a full-time staff member exclusively to digital issues. Therefore, the most appropriate person was interviewed in each NFA.Practical implicationsAdapting an organisational culture to the requirements of the digital age is one of the most important steps in implementing DT. It is equally important for the leadership to form the strategic framework and enable the necessary training of employees to improve the results of the digitalisation processes.Originality/valueThis is the first study investigating NFA's DT from a worldwide perspective, identifying the most important factors for successful DT-processes.

From months to minutes: Creating Hyperion, a novel data management system expediting data insights for oncology research and patient care

Here we describe the design and implementation of a novel data management platform for an academic cancer center which meets the needs of multiple stakeholders. A small, cross-functional technical team identified key challenges to creating a broad data management and access software solution: lowering the technical skill floor, reducing cost, enhancing user autonomy, optimizing data governance, and reimagining technical team structures in academia. The Hyperion data management platform was designed to meet these challenges in addition to usual considerations of data quality, security, access, stability, and scalability. Implemented between May 2019 and December 2020 at the Wilmot Cancer Institute, Hyperion includes a sophisticated custom validation and interface engine to process data from multiple sources, storing it in a database. Graphical user interfaces and custom wizards permit users to directly interact with data across operational, clinical, research, and administrative contexts. The use of multi-threaded processing, open-source programming languages, and automated system tasks (normally requiring technical expertise) minimizes costs. An integrated ticketing system and active stakeholder committee support data governance and project management. A co-directed, cross-functional team with flattened hierarchy and integration of industry software management practices enhances problem solving and responsiveness to user needs. Access to validated, organized, and current data is critical to the functioning of multiple domains in medicine. Although there are downsides to developing in-house customized software, we describe a successful implementation of custom data management software in an academic cancer center.

Effect of lean implementation on team psychological safety and learning

PurposeFrontline teams are at the centre of lean transformations, but the teams also transform as they implement lean. This study examines these changes and seeks to understand how lean relates to team psychological safety and learning.Design/methodology/approachThis research setting is the Romanian division of a leading European energy company. The authors collected team-level audit and survey data, which the authors used to test the effect of lean implementation on team psychological safety and learning. The authors’ team-level data are complemented with qualitative interviews conducted with team members and headquarters leaders.FindingsThe results of the regression analyses show that leanness is positively associated with team psychological safety, which is in turn positively associated with learning. Thus, this research provides evidence that leanness – mediated by team psychological safety – increases team learning.Practical implicationsLean changes team dynamics and learning positively by ensuring and promoting an emotionally sound work environment with clear team structures, an appropriate level of autonomy, and strong leadership.Originality/valueThis paper contributes evidence of important psychological mechanisms that characterise team-level lean implementation. Particularly, the authors highlight how team psychological safety mediates the relationship between leanness and team learning.

Staying Apart to Work Better Together: Team Structure in Cross-Functional Teams

Organizations often leverage cross-functional teams to create innovative solutions and products, yet collaboration across functional boundaries is inherently challenging. Research on small teams largely suggests that, to facilitate team creative outcomes, subgroups should integrate across functional boundaries by increasing communication. In contrast, research on larger cross-functional teams (e.g., multiteam systems) suggests that too much communication across knowledge domains can worsen team outcomes. Using a quasi-experimental design, we investigate the influence of these two different team structures on cross-functional team communication and subsequent innovation outcomes. Contrary to the prevailing recommendation for an integrated team structure in small teams, results illustrate that integrating teams, and the resultant extensive cross-functional communication, does not enhance team innovation outcomes. Rather, teams with greater functional subgroup differentiation, though exhibiting relatively less cross-functional communication, exhibit greater cross-functional synthesis. These results suggest important implications for managers of cross-functional knowledge integration work as well as the future study of cross-functional teamwork of all sizes.

Implementation barriers and enablers of midwifery group practice for vulnerable women: a qualitative study in a tertiary urban Australian health service

BackgroundMaternity services have limited formalised guidance on planning new services such as midwifery group practice for vulnerable women, for example women with a history of substance abuse (alcohol, tobacco and other drugs), mental health challenges, complex social issues or other vulnerability. Continuity of care through midwifery group practice is mostly restricted to women with low-risk pregnancies and is not universally available to vulnerable women, despite evidence supporting benefits of this model of care for all women. The perception that midwifery group practice for vulnerable women is a high-risk model of care lacking in evidence may have in the past, thwarted implementation planning studies that seek to improve care for these women. We therefore aimed to identify the barriers and enablers that might impact the implementation of a midwifery group practice for vulnerable women.MethodsA qualitative context analysis using the Consolidated Framework for Implementation Research was conducted at a single-site tertiary health facility in Queensland, Australia. An interdisciplinary group of stakeholders from a purposeful sample of 31 people participated in semi-structured interviews. Data were analysed using manual and then Leximancer computer assisted methods. Themes were compared and mapped to the Framework.ResultsThemes identified were the woman’s experience, midwifery workforce capabilities, identifying “gold standard care”, the interdisciplinary team and costs. Potential enablers of implementation included perceptions that the model facilitates a relationship of trust with vulnerable women, that clinical benefit outweighs cost and universal stakeholder acceptance. Potential barriers were: potential isolation of the interdisciplinary team, costs and the potential for vicarious trauma for midwives.ConclusionThere was recognition that the proposed model of care is supported by research and a view that clinical benefits will outweigh costs, however supervision and support is required for midwives to manage and limit vicarious trauma. An interdisciplinary team structure is also an essential component of the service design. Attention to these key themes, barriers and enablers will assist with identification of strategies to aid successful implementation. Australian maternity services can use our results to compare how the perceptions of local stakeholders might be similar or different to the results presented in this paper.

The role of team structures in social integration in swiss football clubs: a multilevel analysis

Sports clubs may be an ideal setting for social integration for people from different backgrounds. Using heuristic multilevel models, prior studies linked the individual characteristics of the members with social structures at the club context (e.g. club goals) to explain social integration. However, due the organisation of sport activities in teams, another social context with distinct social structures (e.g. team culture) exists within clubs that is likely relevant for social integration as well. Based on data from 1415 members in 140 teams of 42 Swiss football clubs, this study analyses social integration in the dimension of identification in a three-level multilevel model that is the first to include the team context as a level of analysis. The results revealed that teams differ considerably in the social integration of their members. Besides individual factors (e.g. education level, membership duration), a team culture of social togetherness and especially a pronounced team sociability are relevant for identification. Cross-level interactions showed that these factors play a role for members independent of their migration background. Yet, additional positive effects exist for members new to the club. Based on these results, sports club researchers should consider including the team level in multilevel analyses.

End-Of-Life Care in the Potential Donor after Circulatory Death: A Systematic Review.

Donation after circulatory death (DCD) is becoming increasingly common, yet little is known about the way potential donors receive end-of-life care. The aims of this systematic review are to describe the current practice in end-of-life care for potential donors and identify metrics that are being used to assess discomfort among these patients. This review encompasses published literature between June 1, 2000 and June 31, 2020 of end-of-life care received by potential DCD patients. The population of interest was defined as patients eligible for Maastracht classification III donation after circulatory death for a solid organ transplantation. Outcomes examined included: analgesic or palliative protocols, and surrogates of discomfort (eg dyspnea, agitation). Among 141 unique articles, 27 studies were included for full review. The primary reason for exclusion was lack of protocol description, or lack of reporting on analgesic medications. No primary research studies specifically examined distress in the DCD eligible population. Numerous professional guidelines were identified. Surveys of critical care practitioners identified concerns regarding the impact of symptom management on hastening the dying process in the DCD population as a potential barrier to end-of-life palliative treatment. There is a paucity of empirical evidence for end-of-life symptom assessment and management for DCD patients. Key evidence gaps identified for DCD include the need for: i) a multidisciplinary structure of treatment teams and preferred environment for DCD, ii) objective tools for monitoring of distress in this patient population, and iii) evidence guiding the administration of analgesic medications following withdrawal of life sustaining therapy.

The Lived Experience of Healthcare Workers in Preventing Falls in Community Dwelling Individuals with Dementia.

Older adults living with dementia have at least twice the risk of falling compared to their peers living without cognitive impairment. There is evidence for the effectiveness of standard interventions in falls prevention in community dwellings, but they may not translate to individuals with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) or dementia. A qualitative enquiry, adopting an interpretive research design underpinned by a phenomenological approach using semi-structured interviews with four healthcare workers from the field was adopted. Data were analysed using Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis to identify themes. Four major themes were developed: on-going assessment is important in guiding interventions and influencing change, knowledge and experience informs practice, individuals living with dementia have complex physical and cognitive needs, and teamwork is essential in falls prevention strategies, which highlighted falls prevention in this context being multifactorial and complex. The findings found that combining physical and cognitive strategies as part of falls prevention has potential benefits for this population, including reducing falls risks and maintaining function. Targeted training and awareness raising within a supportive multi-disciplinary team structure is required, underpinned by on-going, person-centred assessments.

DevOps Team Structures: Characterization and Implications

<italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Context</i> : DevOps can be defined as a cultural movement to improve and accelerate the delivery of business value by making the collaboration between development and operations effective. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Objective</i> : This paper aims to help practitioners and researchers to better understand the organizational structure and characteristics of teams adopting DevOps. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Method</i> : We conducted an exploratory study by leveraging in-depth, semi-structured interviews with relevant stakeholders of 31 multinational software-intensive companies, together with industrial workshops and observations at organizations’ facilities that supported triangulation. We used Grounded Theory as qualitative research method to explore the structure and characteristics of teams, and statistical analysis to discover their implications in software delivery performance. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Results</i> : We describe a taxonomy of team structures that shows emerging, stable and consolidated product teams that are classified according to six variables, such as collaboration frequency, product ownership sharing, and autonomy, among others, as well as their implications on software delivery performance. These teams are often supported by horizontal teams (DevOps platform teams, Centers of Excellence, and chapters) that provide them with platform technical capabilities, mentoring and evangelization, and even temporarily may facilitate human resources. <italic xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML" xmlns:xlink="http://www.w3.org/1999/xlink">Conclusion</i> : This study aims to strengthen evidence and support practitioners in making better informed about organizational team structures by analyzing their main characteristics and implications in software delivery performance.

Familiarity-Based Collaborative Team Recognition in Academic Social Networks

Collaborative teamwork is key to major scientific discoveries. However, the prevalence of collaboration among researchers makes team recognition increasingly challenging. Previous studies have demonstrated that people are more likely to collaborate with individuals they are familiar with. In this work, we employ the definition of familiarity and then propose faMiliarity-based cOllaborative Team recOgnition (MOTO) algorithm to recognize collaborative teams. MOTO calculates the shortest distance matrix within the global collaboration network and the local density of each node. Central team members are initially recognized based on local density. Then, MOTO recognizes the remaining team members by using the familiarity metric and shortest distance matrix. Extensive experiments have been conducted upon a large-scale dataset. The experimental results show that compared with baseline methods, MOTO can recognize the largest number of teams. The teams recognized by the MOTO possess more cohesive team structures and lower team communication costs compared with other methods. MOTO utilizes familiarity in team recognition to identify cohesive academic teams. The recognized teams are in line with real-world collaborative teamwork patterns. Based on team recognition using MOTO, the research team structure and performance are further analyzed for given time periods. The number of teams that consist of members from different institutions increases gradually. Such teams are found to perform better in comparison with those whose members are from the same institution.

Optimization of support for relatives-Family-centered care in intensive care medicine

Based on shared experiences and values, the patient and their families form arelational unit. This social unity is especially valid in the situation of illness. Patients' relatives in intensive care units experience an exceptional emotional situation, associated with uncertainty, feelings of being overwhelmed, fear, and the desire for the best possible medical care. The principles of family-centered intensive care offer orientation and relief not only for the patients and their relatives, but also for the interprofessional team. Related measures, such as open visiting hours, appreciative communication, interprofessional team structures, and internal hospital standards can support all those involved in shaping and overcoming this critical situation together.