Staff teamwork in long-term care facilities

Tyler, D. A., & Parker, V. A. (2011). Staff teamwork in long-term care facilities: The influence of management style, training, and feedback. Research in gerontological nursing, 4(2), 135-146. DOI: 10.3928/19404921-20100706-01

The purpose of this study was to describe the organizational factors associated with high and low amounts of teamwork among direct-care workers in long-term care (LTC) facilities. A systematic analysis of observation data collected at 20 LTC facilities was first used to categorize facilities as high-, moderate-, or low-teamwork facilities. Next, qualitative analysis of 59 interviews collected in 4 high-teamwork and 5 low-teamwork facilities was used to identify the organizational factors associated with high and low teamwork. Findings showed that high- and low-teamwork LTC facilities in this study differed in three organizational areas: management style, training, and feedback and recognition. As such, improved teamwork in LTC facilities may result from changes to basic management practices, such as training and employee feedback.