Teamwork And Patient Safety: A Case Study

Most individuals will encounter teamwork in their academic and working lives. The input, perspectives and skills of multiple people provide the extended knowledge and experience required to produce the best possible outcome (Mitchell et al. 2012). As such, teamwork is immensely important in healthcare; it can however be a disadvantage if not coordinated effectively (Wiles & Robinson 1994). The ability of nurses and other health professionals to collaborate can ultimately determine a patient’s outcome. Poor teamwork can compromise the quality and safety of patient care, including delayed tests or treatment, and conflicting information (Manser 2009). The ultimate goal is to minimise these issues and maximise positive patient outcomes. This

It has five principles: team structure, communication, leadership, situation monitoring and mutual support, which contribute to the desired outcomes of knowledge, attitudes and performance (see figure 1).

Team Structure is the foundation that supports each subsequent skill, encompassing the coordination of a multi-team system to achieve the desired outcome (AHRQ 2014). In healthcare settings, this involves the integration of the core and contingency teams, co-ordinating team, ancillary and support services, administration, and the patient. In the student example, where four students analysed communication in a Coroner’s report, a multi-team system was not practical; however, structure applied as each student was held accountable and had a specific roles and responsibilities to work towards the

Each member must understand their roles and responsibilities, and feel comfortable discussing goals, decisions, uncertainty and mistakes (World Health Organisation 2011; Mitchell et al. 2012). Miscommunication can have significant consequences. For example, one study of surgical cases analysed a communication failure of 30%, and of this, 36% of cases resulted in delay, tension or procedural error (Manser 2009). Additionally, communication discrepancies arise commonly between nurse and physician. Makary et al. (2006) observed that physicians generally appeared satisfied with their collaboration with nurses, whereas nurses perceived the teamwork poorly; this is likely due to differences in roles and ideas of what effective communication is. They found that nurses saw effective communication as “having their input respect”, and physicians viewed it as “having nurses who anticipate their needs and follow instructions”. Furthermore, they suggested this barrier results from how each profession is trained to communicate: nurses holistically and patient-centred; physicians concise and analytically. For communication to contribute positively to patient safety, health professionals must have a common goal and discuss matters without hierarchy or bias. To combat miscommunication, ISBAR was a method developed to communicate critical information in a structured and coherent format, ensuring accurate and concise