High Functioning Nurse Teams: Collaborative Decisions for Quality Patient Care

The purpose of this project was to describe and assess how RNs, RPNs and their clinical managers perceive high functioning nursing teams. Interviews were conducted in six cross-sector healthcare organizations in Ontario. The project investigated how RN/RPN teams communicate, assign work and make decisions. A striking finding was that managers were able to immediately identify high functioning teams at the sites, which ranged from large acute hospitals to smaller community organizations.

Results indicated there was a relationship between individual attributes of team members and team performance. Team members were flexible, cooperative, open-minded, compassionate, committed and knowledgeable. Successful high functioning teams were fluid, confident, non-hierarchal, patient-focused and included the right nurses in the right job.

Conclusion: High functioning RN/RPN teams are an invisible asset within the healthcare system. Organizations should recognize effective team functioning and value the contribution of teams to the provision of safe, quality patient care. An understanding of high functioning RN/RPN teams should be included in recruitment strategies, orientation packages and annual performance evaluations. Additionally, the measurable indicators should be added to the concept of teamwork and expanded in accreditation standards and within the professional regulatory framework.

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