Transformational teams: examining the relationship of nursing teamwork to patient outcomes

Debbie J. Rahn

doi:10.17918/etd-6435

Preventable negative patient outcomes continue to pervade multiple sectors of American healthcare. The purpose of this research was to investigate the relationship between nursing teamwork and the nurse-sensitive patient outcomes of pressure ulcers, patient falls, and catheter-associated urinary tract infections. The primary research question of this study was, "How does nursing teamwork affect nurse-sensitive patient outcomes?" Built upon the Donabedian Model of Patient Safety, the mixed methodology design allowed for analysis of correlations between nursing teamwork and the National Database of Nursing Quality Indicators nursing outcome indicators. In addition, central tendency statistics and qualitative analysis of focus group data provided additional data for triangulation. Analysis of the data resulted in statistically significant relationships between nursing teamwork and patient outcomes. In addition, key findings included differing levels of teamwork among teams, the transitory nature of nursing team membership, three descriptive themes related to high-quality teams, the importance of team leadership, barriers to teamwork, the lack of skill in dealing with conflict between team members, and the unmet educational needs of nursing team members. Four primary conclusions provide a framework for teamwork education, interventions, and future research. Four major conclusions relate to the impact of teamwork on nurse-sensitive patient outcomes, the lack of a standard theoretical model of team performance within the nursing profession, the need to adapt team training strategies to address the unique needs of nursing teams, and the need for implementation of additional strategies related to the educational needs of nursing team members. The concept of transformational teamwork emerged from the evidence and conceptualizes teamwork within a system in which a transformational leader influences not only individual followers, but the team as a whole, to perform optimally, resulting in high quality outcomes. Each team member within a transformation team has a positive influence on the team and other team members, and the success of transformational teamwork is measured by quality outcomes. It is critical nursing professionals examine the incidence of negative patient outcomes occurring within the nursing sector's locus of control and implement teaching and leadership strategies, including transformational teamwork, to protect patients from the resulting increased morbidity and mortality commonly associated with negative patient outcomes.

Transformational teams: examining the relationship of nursing teamwork to patient outcomes

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Transformational teams: examining the relationship of nursing teamwork to patient outcomes

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