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The trials and tribulations of team-nursing

journal contribution
posted on 2006-01-01, 00:00 authored by B O`Connell, Maxine DukeMaxine Duke, P Bennett, Sharinne Crawford, V Korfiatis
Aim: The aim of this study was to review the team-nursing approach to care adopted by two general medical wards in a large private hospital. The delivery model of care was reviewed to determine the factors that enhance and/or hinder the timely delivery, continuity and communication of care.
Method: All nursing and ancillary staff who worked on two medical wards at a private teaching hospital were invited to participate in the study. Thirty eight participants from the two wards took part in focus group discussions, individual interviews and completed the Staff Continuity of Care Questionnaire. Findings: Findings indicated that achieving functionally sound teamwork is a complex task that is affected by the interplay of a number of organisational, patient and staff factors. Its smooth application is further affected by the uncertain and changing conditions on the wards, which are difficult to control and impact on the smooth delivery of patient care. The findings revealed strengths and weaknesses in teamwork, communication of care, documentation and discharge planning. The results also highlighted factors that enhance and hinder the smooth delivery of care. This paper details the factors that influence the delivery of care from the perspectives of nursing staff and makes recommendations to enhance the delivery of patient care using a team-nursing approach.

History

Journal

Collegian : journal of the Royal College of Nursing Australia

Volume

13

Issue

3

Pagination

11 - 17

Publisher

Royal College of Nursing Australia

Location

Deakin, A.C.T.

ISSN

1322-7696

eISSN

1876-7575

Language

eng

Publication classification

C1 Refereed article in a scholarly journal

Copyright notice

Reproduced with the specific permission of the copyright owner.

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