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Aim(s): Teamwork among healthcare professionals is a key aspect of patient safety that influences the prevalence of missed nursing care. The association between teamwork and missed care in acute care hospitals is now well established in the literature. Therefore, this review aimed to synthesise the existing empirical evidence on the association between teamwork and missed care in the acute care setting. Design: A mixed‐method systematic review study. Methods: The search was carried out in February 2023 in four scientific databases, PubMed, ProQuest, Web of Science and Scopus based on their institutional availability. The search produced 1542 studies. The method of thematic analysis was used in data synthesis. Results: A total of 18 studies were selected that revealed the relationship between teamwork and missed care. The teamwork score was weak to moderate but significantly associated with the overall score of missed care and was found to be a statistically significant predictor of missed care in an acute care setting. Additionally, teamwork represented an important reason for missed care, primarily in the context of poor communication, lack of trust and cooperation in the nursing team and lack of leadership. Conclusion: The review findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the intricate dynamics between teamwork and missed care and provide valuable information to healthcare professionals and institutions looking to optimise teamwork and mitigate instances of missed care in the acute care setting. Implications for the Profession and/or Patient Care: Recognising how teamwork influences the occurrence of missed care, healthcare organisations can strategically implement targeted interventions to enhance collaboration, address communication gaps, foster trust, and provide effective leadership. Impact: This review suggests that improving teamwork seems to be one of the most important strategies focused on mitigating missed care in acute care settings. Reporting Method: The reporting of this review followed the PRISMA 2020 checklist. Patient or Public Contribution: No patient or public contribution. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Interprofessional practice can look quite different depending on a number of dynamics. Interprofessional education interventions may or may not orient toward this range of practice possibilities. This literature review explores: (1) how interprofessional education interventions relate to different kinds of interprofessional practice and (2) the range of interprofessional practices assumed by interprofessional education interventions. Four databases were searched for articles published between 2011–2021 describing pre-licensure level interprofessional education interventions, resulting in a dataset of 110 articles. Our analysis involved (1) descriptive summaries of the articles, and (2) content analysis of the rationale and description of the intervention. Of the articles, 93% (102/110) of interprofessional education interventions were designed and/or evaluated using the concept of interprofessional education competencies. "Teamwork" was the most relied upon competency. Most articles were not explicit about the different kinds of interprofessional practices that these competencies might be oriented toward. Our study substantiates earlier claims that interprofessional education literature tends to focus on competencies and orient toward undifferentiated understandings of "teamwork." This analysis is particularly important as interprofessional teams are engaging in increasingly complex, fluid, and distributed forms of interprofessional practice that may not be captured in an undifferentiated approach to "teamwork." [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In healthcare, effective communication and teamwork are pivotal in reducing medical errors. Integrating team training into health professions education is crucial. Accurate measurement of team performance during training requires reliable assessment tools. The TeamSTEPPS® Team Performance Observation Tool (TPOT), recently updated by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, serves this purpose. However, it had not been translated and validated for use in Thailand. We aimed to translate and assess the psychometric properties of the Thai version of TPOT. Employing a back-translation process, TPOT was adapted to the Thai context. The resulting Thai TPOT instrument was administered to 518 healthcare professionals who had undergone TeamSTEPPS® training. Participants were asked to evaluate two prerecorded, 7-minute simulated team emergency scenarios using the Thai TPOT instrument. Results exhibited high internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha =.96) and inter-rater reliability (ICC =.98). Confirmatory factor analysis affirmed the construct validity of the Thai TPOT. These findings establish the Thai TPOT as useful for evaluating teamwork within healthcare teams. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To describe nursing students' experiences of a TeamSTEPPS® longitudinal team training program and the application of teamwork skills in clinical practice. Design: A descriptive qualitative design. Methods: Overall, 22 nursing students participated in six online focus group interviews after attending a TeamSTEPPS® team training program from their first semester. The data were audio‐recorded, transcribed and analysed using inductive content analysis and reported following the COREQ guidelines. The focus group interviews took place in the students' fifth's semester. Results: The main category "Learning teamwork is not an event; it's a journey" emerged from 3 generic categories and 12 subcategories. The participants reported that grasping the relevance of team training and the use of teamwork skills takes time. Utilizing these skills improved their awareness of being a team member and facilitated learning. Conclusion: Team training raised the participants' awareness of teamwork as an essential component of being a professional nurse. Additionally, understanding the complexity of teamwork takes time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Teamwork is identified as a key contributor to patient safety and good teamwork is recognized as one of the presumptions of healthy work environment in nursing. The importance of job satisfaction in nursing has repeatedly been confirmed, but only recently has the association of job satisfaction and nursing teamwork been identified. Objective: To identify the level of nursing teamwork in hospitals in Iceland and its relationship with job satisfaction. Methods: This was a quantitative descriptive cross-sectional study. Data were collected with the Nursing Teamwork Survey administered to nursing staff in medical, surgical, and intensive care units in hospitals in Iceland. This study is based on data from 567 participants. Results: A logistic regression analysis indicated that work experience on current unit and perceived staffing adequacy contributes to job satisfaction and when controlling for unit type, role, experience on current unit and staffing adequacy, those reporting better teamwork are significantly more likely to be satisfied with their current position. With an additional unit for overall nursing teamwork, participants are almost five times likelier to be satisfied with their current position. Conclusion: Study findings show that there is a significant relationship between nursing teamwork and job satisfaction. The findings of this study confirm the importance of adequate staffing and good teamwork for nurses' job satisfaction. Staffing however, will remain the most challenging part of the equation as lack of nursing staff is foreseen globally in the coming decades turning the spotlight to teamwork. All stakeholders, including clinical nurse leaders, administrators, and instructors, need to emphasize on strengthening nursing teamwork. Good teamwork with increased job satisfaction may prevent turnover and shortage of nurses, an issue expected to grow during and following the COVID-19 pandemic. Facilitating good teamwork should be one of the priorities of every nurse leader. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Despite the importance of teamwork in the operating room (OR), teamwork can often be conflated with teamwork components (e.g., communication, cooperation). We reviewed the existing literature pertaining to OR teamwork to understand which teamwork components have been assessed. Following PRISMA guidelines for scoping reviews, 4,233 peer-reviewed studies were identified using MEDLINE and Embase. Eighty-seven studies were included for synthesis and analysis. Using the episodic model of teamwork as an organizing framework, studies were grouped into the following teamwork categories: (a) transition processes (e.g., goal specification), (b) action processes (e.g., coordination), (c) interpersonal processes (e.g., conflict management), (d) emergent states (e.g., psychological safety), or (e) omnibus topics (a combination of higher-order teamwork processes). Results demonstrated that action processes were most frequently explored, followed by transition processes, omnibus topics, emergent states, and interpersonal processes. Although all studies were framed as investigations of teamwork, it is important to highlight that most explored only one or a few constructs under the overarching umbrella of teamwork. We advocate for enhanced specificity with descriptions of OR teamwork, reporting practices pertaining to interprofessional demographics and outcomes, and increased diversity in study design and surgery type to advance understanding of teamwork and its implications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this effort we draw from the literature on interprofessional teamwork in high reliability organizations from different fields of study, including healthcare, industrial/organizational psychology, and management. We combine this literature with our collective experience to offer five observations on future needs for the field of team science research and practice. These themes include: (1) exploration of nonclinical teams, (2) evaluation of multi-team systems in healthcare, (3) the study of dyad leadership of teams, (4) the proliferation of virtual healthcare teams, and (5) the continuing integration of organizational and team science into the study of interprofessional teams. By presenting these observations, we argue why each is critical to the overall understanding of interprofessional teamwork in healthcare and provide areas for future scholarly advancement that will inform healthcare practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication failure is a common root cause of adverse clinical events. Problematic communication domains are difficult to decipher, and communication improvement strategies are scarce. This study compared perioperative incident reports (IR) identifying potential communication failures with the results of a contemporaneous peri-operative Relational Coordination (RC) survey. We hypothesised that IR-prevalent themes would map to areas-of-weakness identified in the RC survey. Perioperative IRs filed between 2018 and 2020 (n = 6,236) were manually reviewed to identify communication failures (n = 1049). The IRs were disaggregated into seven RC theory domains and compared with the RC survey. Report disaggregation ratings demonstrated a three-way inter-rater agreement of 91.2%. Of the 1,049 communication failure-related IRs, shared knowledge deficits (n = 479, 46%) or accurate communication (n = 465, 44%) were most frequently identified. Communication frequency failures (n = 3, 0.3%) were rarely coded. Comparatively, shared knowledge was the weakest domain in the RC survey, while communication frequency was the strongest, correlating well with our IR data. Linking IR with RC domains offers a novel approach to assessing the specific elements of communication failures with an acute care facility. This approach provides a deployable mechanism to trend intra- and inter-domain progress in communication success, and develop targeted interventions to mitigate against communication failure-related adverse events. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

At our institution, we observed inconsistency in the application of structural facilitators for interprofessional teamwork such as handoffs and communication of contingency planning, complete formation and engagement of teams on interprofessional rounds, regular situation monitoring, interprofessional huddles, use of "check back" during code situations, and standard debriefings after codes and procedures (TeamSTEPPS®). To enhance team performance, we piloted TeamSTEPPS® training and reinforcement for all healthcare team members in the medical intensive care unit (MICU), inclusive of trainees, advanced practice providers (APPs), nurses, and respiratory therapists rotating through the unit. Seven months after the training launch, the initial COVID-19 surge interrupted the reinforcement stage of the pilot providing an opportunity to study the retention of TeamSTEPPS® principles and its potential role in response to a crisis. We conducted interprofessional focus groups after a year of crisis management during the pandemic. Themes revealed how TeamSTEPPS® training impacted teamwork and communication, as well as factors that influenced the use of TeamSTEPPS®. This work points to the value of team training in unexpected scenarios. Additional studies at multiple sites are needed to determine scalability for all MICU teams or for onboarding new team members. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To determine if there is a moderating effect of cultural intelligence between the conflict of nursing relationships and teamwork. Background: Relationship conflicts that exist in the nursing teamwork cannot be ignored. It would lead to poor teamwork and impact on patients' poor outcomes. In the meantime, cultural intelligence has been proven that people who have a higher cultural intelligence can do better at the work. Methods: The sample included 550 clinic nurses from five different hospitals in Shanghai. The Cultural Intelligence Scale, the Relationship Conflict Scale, and the Nursing Teamwork Survey Scale were used to investigate. Through the Johnson–Neyman method and SPSS Process Macro, the moderating effect of cultural intelligence was analysed. Results: The findings showed that cultural intelligence was founded to be significant (b = 2.03, p < 0.01). When the cultural intelligence score is greater than or equal to 90.8, the relationship conflict between nurses will not affect teamwork. Conclusions: The findings of this study may provide data to improve nurses' performance in team cooperation. Implication for nursing management: Nursing managers should pay attention to the construction of the nurse's cultural intelligence. Nursing managers should guide nurses in daily work to continuously develop their own cultural intelligence. Enable nurses to effectively transfer social skills from one culture to another, and improve teamwork skills. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Care delivery in neonatology is dependent on an interprofessional team. Collaborative learning and education amongst professionals can lead to successful management of critically ill patients. This focused BEME review synthesized the components, outcomes, and impact of such interprofessional education (IPE) programs in neonatal medicine. The authors systematically searched four online databases and hand-searched MedEdPublish up to 10 September 2020. Two authors independently screened titles, abstracts, full-texts, performed data extraction and risk of bias assessment related to study methodology and reporting. Discrepancies were resolved by a third author. We reported our findings based on BEME guidance and the STORIES (STructured apprOach to the Reporting in health education of Evidence Synthesis) statement. We included 17 studies on IPE in neonatal medicine. Most studies were from North America with varying learners, objectives, instruction, and observed outcomes. Learners represented nurses, respiratory therapists, neonatal nurse practitioners, patient care technicians, parents, early interventionists, physicians, and medical trainees amongst others. Risk of bias assessment in reporting revealed poor reporting of resources and instructor training. Bias assessment for study methodology noted moderate quality evidence with validity evidence as the weakest domain. IPE instruction strategies included simulation with debriefing, didactics, and online instruction. Most studies reported level 1 Kirkpatrick outcomes (76%) and few reported level 3 or 4 outcomes (23%). Challenges include buy-in from leadership and the negative influence of hierarchy amongst learners. This review highlights IPE program components within neonatal medicine and exemplary practices including a multimodal instructional approach, asynchronous instruction, an emphasis on teamwork, and elimination of hierarchy amongst learners. We identified a lack of reporting on program development and instructor training. Future work should address long term knowledge and skill retention and impact on patient outcomes and organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Numerous teamwork competency frameworks are designed for co-located, procedure-driven teams delivering care in acute settings. Little is known about their applicability or evaluation among larger teams-of-teams, known as multiteam systems (MTS), involved in delivering care for complex chronic conditions like cancer. In this review we aimed to identify studies examining teamwork competencies or teamwork competency frameworks developed or tested in healthcare teams, identify the extent to which they have been applied or evaluated in cancer care, and understand their applicability to larger MTSs involved in coordinating cancer care. We identified 107 relevant original articles, consensus statements, and prior systematic reviews published from 2013–2019. Most original papers (n = 96) were intervention studies of inpatient acute care teams (52, 54%). Fifty-eight articles (60%) used existing frameworks to define competency domains. Four original articles and two consensus statements addressed teamwork competencies for cancer care. Few frameworks or interprofessional education (IPE) curricula specifically addressed teamwork among larger, distributed teams or examined competencies necessary to overcome care coordination challenges in cancer care MTSs. Research guiding the development of frameworks and IPE that consider challenges to effective coordination among larger MTSs and studies of their impact on patient and clinical outcomes is essential to optimal, high-quality care. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The importance of communication among healthcare providers has been long recognized, and many healthcare organizations are implementing team-based care, with emphasis on staff communication. While previous empirical studies in various settings illustrate the role of built environments in user communication, there is a lack of quantified interpersonal spatial metrics to predict interactions. This study investigates how interpersonal spatial metrics at different scales predict staff communication patterns by empirically studying four primary care clinics that provide team-based care. We found that staff members in clinics with higher visual connections among staff members reported more timely and frequent communication. We also found that staff members talked to each other more frequently when their workstations were visually connected. The findings of this study are expected to help designers and facility managers provide well-designed teambased clinic layouts, beyond just shared work spaces for team members, for improved staff communication. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aims: To identify the levels of teamwork and its relationship with the occurrence and reporting of adverse events among Iranian nurses. Background: Strengthening teamwork is emphasized worldwide for enhancing quality care and patient safety. Methods: This study applied a cross‐sectional survey design. A total of 327 Iranian nurses from eight teaching hospitals participated in a self‐administered survey using simple random sampling. The Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire was used to measure the teamwork. The frequency of occurrence and reporting of adverse events were measured with two questions. Data were analysed using descriptive analyses, independent t tests and logistic regression analysis. Results: The mean teamwork score was 3.81 out of 5. Among the nurses, 48.0% had experienced adverse events in the past 6 months and 79.8% reported having an appropriate performance in adverse events reporting. Teamwork was significantly associated with lower occurrences of adverse events and better adverse events reporting. Specifically, nurses with higher situation monitoring (odds ratio (OR) = 0.47), mutual support (OR = 3.18) and team leadership (OR = 2.09) scores were more likely to report adverse events. Nurses with higher situation monitoring scores were less likely to experience the occurrence of adverse events (OR = 0.38). Conclusions: Nurses' perception of teamwork was moderate to high. Teamwork was associated with the occurrence and reporting of adverse events. Further study is needed to identify the effects of teamwork training on the learning outcomes, including teamwork, occurrence and the reporting of adverse events among nurses. Implicatios for Nursing Management: Nursing managers should consider multiple educational strategies including structured teamwork training to improve staff nurses' teamwork competency. Administrative initiatives and quality improvement projects are needed to increase nurses' performance in the reporting of adverse events through an accreditation process. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Healthcare professionals' attitudes play a significant role in influencing team behavior, and thereby affect the quality and safety of patient care. Culturally adapted and validated questionnaires may contribute valuable knowledge of professionals' attitudes toward teamwork. The aim of the study was to translate and cross-validate the TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Attitude Questionnaire (T-TAQ) into Norwegian, and to test the questionnaire for psychometric properties among Norwegian healthcare professionals. The T-TAQ, measuring five dimensions of attitude towards teamwork, was translated according to a model of back translation. Healthcare professionals (N = 247) from various hospital settings responded. A Pearson correlation coefficient, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), test–retest reliability, Cronbach's alpha, and McDonald's omega were conducted. The inter-correlation test of the T-TAQ dimensions ranged from 0.16 to 0.54. The CFA showed a Root Mean Square Error of Approximation of (RMSEA) = 0.061. Test-retest showed Intraclass Correlation Coefficient scores from 0.73 to 0.86, with Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega demonstrating values from 0.53 to 0.76 (alpha) and 0.57 to 0.76 (omega) on the five dimensions. The Norwegian version of T-TAQ revealed potential concerning the psychometric property for measuring healthcare professionals' attitudes toward teamwork in hospital settings. Further testing with a sample that is more proportionally composed in terms of an interprofessional mix is therefore proposed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Effective interprofessional (IP) team-based care is critical to enhance the delivery of efficient care and improve nursing and IP team outcomes. This study aims to review the most recent IP team intervention studies that focused on outcomes related to nursing and IP teams. PubMed, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Embase were searched for existing literature published between January 2011 and December 2016. The search strategy was developed through both literature review and consultation with a health sciences librarian. This review included IP team intervention studies published in peer-reviewed journals and written in English. Studies were included if they conducted an IP team intervention for healthcare teams that include nurses and examined outcomes related to nursing and the IP teams. Based on inclusion and exclusion criteria, 41 articles were included for the final review. Two authors extracted data on the characteristics of IP team interventions, assessment methods, and their outcomes related to nursing and IP teams using a data abstraction tool developed by the research team. The quality of the included studies was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool. We found that most of the included studies were conducted in the US and on inpatient units. A quasi-experimental study design was most commonly employed. Most studies conducted IP team training such as TeamSTEPPS® as a one-time activity. The most common outcomes measured were attitudes or perceptions about IP teamwork or communication, followed by patient-related outcomes, and knowledge or skills about IP competencies. The quality of the included studies was generally low. The findings from this review will contribute to understanding the characteristics of current IP intervention studies and call for IP scholars to design more rigorous yet realistic IP intervention studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim and objective To explore and understand the experiences of medical-surgical nurses as first responders during clinical deterioration events. Background Nurses are key players in identifying and responding to deterioration events to escalate the level of care essential to address specific needs of patients. Delays in recognising signs and symptoms of patient deterioration and activation of Rapid Response Teams have been linked to a lack of nontechnical skills (leadership, teamwork, situational awareness) resulting in increased patient morbidity and mortality. Design A descriptive, qualitative approach was used. Methods A purposive sample of 28 medical-surgical nurses was recruited and interviewed from an integrated healthcare system located in the USA. Interviews were conducted from October 2014-February 2015. Interviews were audio recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were entered into Max QDA. The constant comparative method was used for data analysis. Results Three patterns emerged from the data analysis: Recognising and Responding to the Event, Managing the Event and Challenges Encountered during the Event. From the patterns, seven themes emerged. Themes for pattern one, Recognising and Responding, were early warning signs, continuity in patient care assignments and intuition. Themes for pattern two, Managing the Event, were cognitive, technical and behavioural skills. The theme for pattern three, Challenges Encountered during the Event, was work environment complexity. Conclusion Listening to the stories of medical-surgical nurses provided insight into how they recognised and managed patients experiencing clinical deterioration events. Furthermore, insight into the challenges that medical-surgical nurses encountered in caring for deteriorating patients were identified. Relevance to clinical practice Implication for practice in the areas of continuity of patient assignments, formal clinical deterioration education, work environment and team collaboration and communication was presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose The ability to work effectively in a team is highly regarded by employers of accounting graduates, yet they have expressed concern that many university graduates lack teamwork skills. Furthermore, in the context of the accounting curriculum, a “conceptual vagueness” surrounds a workplace-relevant definition of teamwork. Drawing on the theoretical perspectives of the healthcare sector where teamwork skills are required to be taught and assessed as part of accreditation processes, this study investigates what teamwork means from the perspective of accounting employers.Design/methodology/approach Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a purposive sample of employers to acquire descriptions of teamwork observed from graduate recruits. Using an analyst triangulation process, resulting teamwork items were analysed and emerging themes were identified.Findings Teamwork in accounting work contexts were identified, confirmed and explained. Mapped against the healthcare teamwork theories, many teamwork items from the interview analysis clustered around the mutual support competency and the dimensions of traits and motives.Research Limitations/implications The study was restricted to employers collaborating in one university’s placement program. Further research could investigate more diverse employer groups, determine importance ranking of identified teamwork themes and seek explanations for differences among different employer groups.Practical implications An enhanced description of teamwork is significant in supporting student awareness and informing teaching innovations/assessments of this generic skill in the accounting curriculum.Originality/value The paper provides a unique contribution of evidence-based descriptions of teamwork expected of accounting graduates, thus addressing conceptual and practical ambiguity of the meaning of teamwork skills in the accounting profession. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on the effectiveness of multidisciplinary teams has been equivocal. In an attempt to understand when a team’s professional heterogeneity (PH) is positively related to innovation (INN), we proposed an integrative model in which shared mental models (SMMs) are theorized as a mechanism to leverage INN in highly multidisciplinary teams. In addition, we claim that transformational leadership (TL), which is usually regarded as a factor contributing to team effectiveness, will attenuate the effect of teams’ PH on team SMM. In a field study of 55 R&D teams in Israel, we found that SMMs mediated the relationship between PH and INN, and that TL moderated the relationship between PH and Team SMM. We discuss the theoretical and practical implication of these findings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary aim of this study was to decrease the subjectivity of the Team Performance Observation Tool (TPOT) and determine the psychometric properties of this tool when using scenario-specific targeted behavioral markers (TBMs). We used a convenience sample of 47 physical therapy and 25 nursing students at an academic medical center who were organized in interprofessional teams of three to care for a simulated patient. The TPOT demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability with the use of TBMs. We demonstrated significant correlations between the TPOT overall rating and two scenario-specific outcomes: (1) a negative correlation between the TPOT overall rating and the number of medical errors committed by the 24 teams ( r = −0.531, p = 0.008) and (2) a positive correlation between the TPOT overall rating and a time-based functional outcome ( r = 0.803, p < 0.001). We demonstrated substantial test-retest reliability (kappa = 0.707, p < 0.001), inter-rater reliability (kappa = 0.730), and good internal consistency reliability (Cronbach's α = 0.921). The results of our study support the use of scenario-specific TBMs to enhance the reliability and validity of the TPOT for use in the evaluation of team-based simulation scenarios. Further evaluation of the TPOT with TBMs from other simulation and training contexts is warranted. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Aim To report an analysis of the concept of shared mental models in health care. Background Shared mental models have been described as facilitators of effective teamwork. The complexity and criticality of the current healthcare system requires shared mental models to enhance safe and effective patient/client care. Yet, the current concept definition in the healthcare literature is vague and, therefore, difficult to apply consistently in research and practice. Design Concept analysis. Data sources Literature for this concept analysis was retrieved from several databases, including CINAHL, PubMed and MEDLINE ( EBSCO Interface), for the years 1997-2013. Methods Walker and Avant's approach to concept analysis was employed and, following Paley's guidance, embedded in extant theory from the team literature. Results Although teamwork and collaboration are discussed frequently in healthcare literature, the concept of shared mental models in that context is not as commonly found but is increasing in appearance. Our concept analysis defines shared mental models as individually held knowledge structures that help team members function collaboratively in their environments and are comprised of the attributes of content, similarity, accuracy and dynamics. Conclusion This theoretically grounded concept analysis provides a foundation for a middle-range descriptive theory of shared mental models in nursing and health care. Further research concerning the impact of shared mental models in the healthcare setting can result in development and refinement of shared mental models to support effective teamwork and collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Teamwork is an essential component of safety in most work environments, especially in healthcare. Significant gains toward team-based approaches to healthcare have been made, but there remains a large knowledge base on teamwork that can be tapped. It is suggested that improvement in patient safety can be made by drawing on the science of team effectiveness and specifically focusing on investigation where team share characteristics to those in healthcare (e.g. emergency medicine). This article briefly outlines some core features of the current scientific understanding of teams. The relationship between teamwork and patient safety is then discussed. Finally, a set of scientific-rooted principles are extracted from the literature, which can guide the effectiveness of teams working in healthcare contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]