HOME HELP FEEDBACK SUBSCRIPTIONS ARCHIVE SEARCH TABLE OF CONTENTS		QUICK SEARCH:   [advanced] Author: Keyword(s): Year:  Vol:  Page:

This Article Full Text Full Text (PDF) Respond to This Article Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Take the CE Test Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wheelan, S. A. Articles by Tilin, F. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wheelan, S. A. Articles by Tilin, F.

CE Online

The Link Between Teamwork and Patients’ Outcomes in Intensive Care Units

• Background Links between teamwork and outcomes have been established in a number of fields. Investigations into this link in healthcare have yielded equivocal results.

• Objective To examine the relationship between the level of self-identified teamwork in the intensive care unit and patients’ outcomes.

• Method A total of 394 staff members of 17 intensive care units completed the Group Development Questionnaire and a demographic survey. The questionnaire is a reliable and valid measure of team development and effectiveness. Each unit’s predicted and actual mortality rates for the month in which data were collected were obtained. Pearson product moment correlations and analyses of variance were used to analyze the data.

• Results Staff members of units with mortality rates that were lower than predicted perceived their teams as functioning at higher stages of group development. They perceived their team members as less dependent and more trusting than did staff members of units with mortality rates that were higher than predicted. Staff members of high-performing units also perceived their teams as more structured and organized than did staff members of lower-performing units.

• Conclusions The results of this study and others establish a link between teamwork and patients’ outcomes in intensive care units. The evidence is sufficient to warrant the implementation of strategies designed to improve the level of teamwork and collaboration among staff members in intensive care units.

To receive CE credit for this article, visit the American Association of Critical-Care Nurses’ (AACN) Web site at http://www.aacn.org, click on "Education" and select "Continuing Education," or call AACN’s Fax on Demand at (800) 222-6329 and request item No. 1170.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				S. A. Wheelan Group Size, Group Development, and Group Productivity Small Group Research, April 1, 2009; 40(2): 247 - 262. [Abstract] [PDF]

				L. Rose, S. Nelson, L. Johnston, and J. J. Presneill Decisions Made By Critical Care Nurses During Mechanical Ventilation and Weaning in an Australian Intensive Care Unit Am. J. Crit. Care., September 1, 2007; 16(5): 434 - 443. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				L. Lemieux-Charles and W. L. McGuire What Do We Know about Health Care Team Effectiveness? A Review of the Literature Med Care Res Rev, June 1, 2006; 63(3): 263 - 300. [Abstract] [PDF]

				A. Garland Improving the ICU: Part 1 Chest, June 1, 2005; 127(6): 2151 - 2164. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				A. Garland Improving the ICU: Part 2 Chest, June 1, 2005; 127(6): 2165 - 2179. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]