The association of teamwork and missed nursing care in acute care setting: A mixed‐methods systematic review

Abstract

AbstractAim(s)Teamwork among healthcare professionals is a key aspect of patient safety that influences the prevalence of missed nursing care. The association between teamwork and missed care in acute care hospitals is now well established in the literature. Therefore, this review aimed to synthesise the existing empirical evidence on the association between teamwork and missed care in the acute care setting.DesignA mixed‐method systematic review study.MethodsThe search was carried out in February 2023 in four scientific databases, PubMed, ProQuest, Web of Science and Scopus based on their institutional availability. The search produced 1542 studies. The method of thematic analysis was used in data synthesis.ResultsA total of 18 studies were selected that revealed the relationship between teamwork and missed care. The teamwork score was weak to moderate but significantly associated with the overall score of missed care and was found to be a statistically significant predictor of missed care in an acute care setting. Additionally, teamwork represented an important reason for missed care, primarily in the context of poor communication, lack of trust and cooperation in the nursing team and lack of leadership.ConclusionThe review findings contribute to a deeper understanding of the intricate dynamics between teamwork and missed care and provide valuable information to healthcare professionals and institutions looking to optimise teamwork and mitigate instances of missed care in the acute care setting.Implications for the Profession and/or Patient CareRecognising how teamwork influences the occurrence of missed care, healthcare organisations can strategically implement targeted interventions to enhance collaboration, address communication gaps, foster trust, and provide effective leadership.ImpactThis review suggests that improving teamwork seems to be one of the most important strategies focused on mitigating missed care in acute care settings.Reporting MethodThe reporting of this review followed the PRISMA 2020 checklist.Patient or Public ContributionNo patient or public contribution.