The association of rationed nursing care and the level of teamwork in acute care setting: a cross-sectional study

Abstract

Abstract Aim. To explore the association of rationed nursing care and the level of teamwork from the perspective of nurses working in an acute care setting in Slovakia. Material and methods. The descriptive cross-sectional study was conducted between November 2022 and February 2023. Data collection was carried out using a set of questionnaires that involved the Basel Extent of Rationing of Nursing Care – Revised (BERNCA-R) and the Nursing Teamwork Survey (NTS) to explore the level of teamwork. The sample consisted of 206 nurses from three district hospitals from Slovakia. Results. The mean score of the BERNCA-R was 2.11 (SD = 0.65) and for NTS, it was 3.64 (SD = 0.35). A statistically significant association was found between rationed nursing care and the level of teamwork, more specifically, Trust (r = -0.583), Team orientation (r = -0.381), Backup (r = -0.657), Shared mental model (r = -0.768), and Team leader (r = -0.535) and the overall score of the NTS (r = -0.174). Conclusions. These findings underscore the importance of addressing the phenomenon of rationed nursing care among registered and practical nurses to foster better teamwork and enhance patient care outcomes in acute care settings.