Prior research has shown that missed nursing care may in part result from reduced nurse staffing and is associated with adverse outcomes for patients. Using survey data from a sample of nurses at a single community hospital, researchers found that reduced nurse staffing, lower job satisfaction, and decreased satisfaction with teamwork were important factors related to missed nursing care.

Incomplete handoffs and insufficient communication regarding key clinical information may lead to adverse events or missed or delayed diagnoses. This analysis of data from the AHRQ Hospital Survey of Patient Safety Culture sought to determine how perceptions of organizational factors that affect safety can contribute to optimal handoffs. Perceived teamwork across units was a significant predictor for successful handoffs. Perceptions of staffing adequacy and management support for patient safety efforts were also related to good handoffs. Among frontline staff, open communication was associated with optimal handoffs, while among management safe handoffs were linked to a continuous learning culture. These findings add to existing studies which underscore the need for high-reliability organizations to promote safety efforts. The authors advocate for hospital leadership to promote teamwork and open communication to augment handoffs in their facilities. Dr. Vineet Arora discussed the challenges of handoffs in a prior AHRQ WebM&M interview.

This study examines the nature of trauma teamwork errors and suggests structures to better support team cognition and decision-making.

This study found that unidentified characteristics played a critical role in team effectiveness during simulated emergencies. The authors suggest traditional teamwork training programs may fail to account for these characteristics while focusing simply on specific knowledge or skills.

This commentary discusses efforts to reduce central line blood stream infections and questions why proven improvement mechanisms have not been adopted.

This study found that organizations that prioritized teamwork—specifically by using morning huddles among nurses—reported higher rates of hand hygiene. Although system factors may play a role in suboptimal hand hygiene, some observers have argued for greater emphasis on individual responsibility in this area.