What are the advantages of the team nursing model of providing nursing care?

One of the main tasks of nursing teams’ leaders is to provide consistently high-quality patient care. In order to achieve this goal, it is necessary to adhere to a specific work strategy so that the level of medical services delivery could be sufficiently high. As a nursing concept that may be relevant in this case, a team model can be introduced that involves the division of employees into separate groups for the allocation of duties and control over individual units. Such an approach to care delivery may be effective and useful if the process of its implementation in practice meets proper conditions and principles.

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It is not enough to divide a team into groups and entrust its participants with the implementation of specific tasks. As Reiss-Brennan et al. (2016) note, the strategy of the team-based model may be “organized around the primary care physician and monitored by the operations manager” (p. 827). It means that responsible employees should monitor the implementation of care delivery in a specific medical setting and adjust the work process without distracting personnel. Each member of the staff is to receive appropriate job descriptions and be aware of the degree of individual responsibility.

According to Reiss-Brennan et al. (2016), the contribution of employees can be significant if assigned tasks are carried out competently. It is not necessary to recruit a large staff if group members are not able to implement the provisions of a care plan correctly. Therefore, in a team nursing environment, responsible persons are to be appointed to monitor the work of colleagues and make competent recommendations. In this case, the quality of care for each patient will be high, and the management will be able to count on successful work outcomes.

Advantages and Disadvantages of the Model

The selected team nursing model of care has a number of distinctive features and, in particular, advantages. At the same time, as in any concept, some nuances exist that may affect the work process adversely. When considering the benefits of such a model, it can be noted that “the team works collaboratively with shared responsibility” (King, Long, & Lisy, 2015, p. 130). This feature allows the management to allocate the load on the staff evenly.

Another advantage is employees’ increased attention to each individual patient. As King et al. (2015) remark, nurses are in close contact with those who need help, and comprehensive care is carried out, which has a positive effect on both the physical and emotional state of wards. Finally, this model contributes to the convenience of performance control. If responsible persons monitor the care process in each group, it is easier for the management to draw up a work plan and not be distracted by additional difficulties. Therefore, all these advantages explain the relevance of this model in nursing practice.

However, some disadvantages can also be mentioned when evaluating the concept. For instance, according to Deravin, Francis, Nielsen, and Anderson (2017), some stress outcomes may occur while implementing the model into practice due to increased requirements for nurses’ responsibilities. Also, the risk of conflicts among colleagues increases since many tasks are to be solved jointly, and the personal opinions of individual team members may not coincide.

Another potential disadvantage is the limited list of responsibilities, which hampers the natural process of nurses’ education in the process of work. However, despite these shortcomings, the nursing care model in question is a valuable mechanism if it is implemented correctly.

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References

Deravin, L., Francis, K., Nielsen, S., & Anderson, J. (2017). Nursing stress and satisfaction outcomes resulting from implementing a team nursing model of care in a rural setting. Journal of Hospital Administration, 6(1), 60-66. Web.

King, A., Long, L., & Lisy, K. (2015). Effectiveness of team nursing compared with total patient care on staff wellbeing when organizing nursing work in acute care wards: A systematic review. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 13(11), 128-168. Web.

Reiss-Brennan, B., Brunisholz, K. D., Dredge, C., Briot, P., Grazier, K., Wilcox, A.,… James, B. (2016). Association of integrated team-based care with health care quality, utilization, and cost. JAMA, 316(8), 826-834. Web.

Today’s healthcare industry is built around a multidisciplinary approach to patient care. Nurses work closely alongside physicians and specialists  to provide well-organized comprehensive care; therefore, teamwork is crucial to facilitating effective communication and promoting positive patient outcomes. Earning a nursing degree online can provide a good foundation on how to effectively collaborate with others.

1. Improved Patient Satisfaction and Outcome

Healthcare professionals serve patients not as individual providers, but as multidisciplinary teams. These teams include nurses, primary care physicians, and specialists. Ideally, every individual on the team works together toward the common goal of enhancing the patient’s health and providing the highest possible level of care. As Wayne Robson, the patient safety and quality lead at Barnsley Hospital Foundation Trust, indicates in a piece for Nursing Times, teamwork in healthcare directly impacts the patient’s satisfaction and outcome.

When nurses communicate regularly with the patient’s physicians and therapists, they can offer a more personalized level of care. Organized methods of communication keep nurses aware of all current treatment plans so they can monitor their patients’ progress accurately.

When multidisciplinary teams meet often, they are able to evaluate patients more thoroughly. Thanks to their continual daily interaction with patients, nurses are often aware of minute details that busy physicians might miss in their hurried rounds. When teams have opportunities to communicate often, nurses can ask critical questions and make insightful suggestions about the best way to manage patient care.

2. Higher Job Satisfaction

Nursing careers may present possible challenges, from long hours to high-stress situations. It is crucial for professionals in this field to maintain a high level of job satisfaction to avoid potential burnout. The International Journal of Research in Medical Sciences published a study that demonstrated that nurses who are more satisfied with their jobs provide better care. A research report by The Society for Human Resource Management revealed that teamwork is closely associated with higher job satisfaction.

In hospitals where registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, nursing assistants, and unit secretaries worked together, employees were more satisfied with their jobs. Mentioned in an NCBI report, a study by AM Rafferty, CBE, FRCN of over 10,000 nurses in England revealed that those who scored their interdisciplinary teamwork high were more likely to have high job satisfaction and lower burnout.

When nurses have access to coordinated teams with organized lines of communication, they may be happier with their daily workplace responsibilities. Establishing strong teams in the workplace has been found to result in a more satisfied workforce, which reflects positively on both co-workers and patients.

3. Increased Professional Accountability

Teamwork contributes directly to accountability in nursing. Daily huddles enhance this by keeping nurses in the loop and reinforce changes to policies and procedures. In hospitals and other healthcare environments where team huddles are held less frequently, accountability suffers, according to Nurse Journal.

Nursing accountability can also benefit from teamwork on a smaller scale. Nurses who have attentive supervisors on their teams or partners who check and assess their work typically have more accountability. Organized chains of communication within these teams help communicate patient complaints or incidents effectively to those who are in a position to make meaningful changes. This is critical in the healthcare field, where errors can have a dramatic impact on patient outcomes.

The importance of communication and teamwork is becoming more widely recognized in the healthcare industry. Patient safety errors that result from the inability to communicate effectively put hospitals and other healthcare providers at great risk for legal ramifications. In recognition of this, communication strategies are often included in the curriculum for a nurse practitioner degree. Educational institutions are emphasizing the importance of teamwork and communication early to build a stronger foundation for successful healthcare outcomes.

4. Lower Rates of Job Turnover

Employee turnover is a major problem for hospitals. Nursing Solutions, Inc.’s National Health Care Retention & RN Staffing Report revealed that employee turnover in hospitals was 16.2 percent in 2016. The turnover rate for RNs was slightly lower at 14.6 percent, but certified nursing assistants had the highest turnover rate of all the reported occupations, at 24.6 percent. RNs in surgical services, women’s health, and pediatrics had the lowest rates of turnover, while those in behavior health and emergency care had the highest turnover.
In hospitals where there’s an emphasis on teamwork, nurses are more satisfied with their jobs, as mentioned previously. Higher job satisfaction decreases turnover. Thus, better teamwork can contribute to lower turnover. Forty-two percent of nurses who are dissatisfied with their jobs plan to leave within 12 months, while just 11 percent of nurses with high job satisfaction have plans to leave their current workplace.

5. Improved Engagement in the Workplace

Employee engagement is closely linked to workplace relationships. In a research report by the Society for Human Resource Management, 77 percent of employees said that relationships with their co-workers contributed to their engagement. Sixty-four percent felt that engagement was improved when they knew the people in their work group would not give up in the face of difficulties, and 65 percent were more engaged when their colleagues could quickly adapt to challenges or crises.

Nurses who are highly engaged in the workplace are usually more motivated to provide high levels of care. This can help combat the issue of burnout.

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Sources

HRH: Global Resource Center – Why is Teamwork in Health Care Important?

SHRM – Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement Report

EJ Manager

PMC – Nursing Staff Teamwork and Job Satisfaction

Nursing Times – Tools and techniques to improve teamwork and avoid patient harm

Nurse Journal – When Nursing Teamwork Suffers

Engaged Patients