Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository

Thesis Format

Integrated Article

Degree

Master of Science

Program

Health and Rehabilitation Sciences

Supervisor

Sibbald, Shannon

Abstract

Healthcare professionals working in teams is necessary, since good teamwork among healthcare professionals has been found to improve patient outcomes and reduce burnout. Surveys provide a quick and efficient way to capture the various constructs of teamwork to understand team functioning, areas of strength, and the potential areas for improvement. However, not all surveys are useful as majority of them remain to be validated. In this research, a systematic overview of reviews is conducted to identify robust instruments that are frequently identified in the literature. The databases searched include MEDLINE, EMBASE, CINAHL, and PsycINFO. After excluding duplicates and irrelevant articles, there were 15 articles that met the inclusion criteria for full assessment. Surveys appropriate for measuring teamwork in various healthcare settings were reported. It was determined there were seven surveys that were validated and most frequently identified in the literature. This overview provides a narrative for researchers and clinicians in deciding on instruments that is most appropriate for their goals and practice. More research is required to develop surveys that include involving patients as part of the healthcare team.

Summary for Lay Audience

Research has found that when healthcare professionals work as a team, there is increased patient outcomes and reduces burnout among healthcare professionals. In hopes to understand how effective teamwork functions, surveys have been developed. These surveys include various dimensions of teamwork and may provide insight to understanding high-performing healthcare teams. However, a problem that has risen over the years is that too many surveys have been created. Majority of these surveys lack rigorous testing to determine its usability. Therefore, this current study aims to do a systematic search and identify surveys that are used frequently and have been rigorously tested. It was determined that there were 16 different surveys that are commonly used throughout different healthcare settings. This study provides a guidance for researchers and clinicians and identify the most appropriate survey for its context. By evaluating and identifying areas for improvement, patient outcomes can also be improved.

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