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Teamwork is critical in healthcare. Not only does it improve the ease and effectiveness of your job, but it also enhances overall patient care. While certainly not a new concept, the emphasis on teamwork continues to rise as the interdisciplinary team treating the patient gets larger. When teamwork "is emphasized and valued, every member works together to meet their patients' needs; improved patient outcomes is their common goal" (Ward, 2013).
However, on units where horizontal violence is taking place, teamwork can be hard to foster and patient care can suffer. "Experts agree nursing communication breakdowns and lack of teamwork are a root cause of errors. If nurses are afraid to speak up because they are intimidated by fellow nurses and physicians, patients can be harmed" (Bartholomew, 2013).
But how do you create an environment where teamwork can prevail and bullying is eliminated? It all begins with the culture. If a culture exists "that supports fair, equal and consistent approaches to variances in care while promoting a safe/fear-free environment and celebratory mechanisms to highlight success, " teamwork will become the norm (Wood, 2012). If it doesn't, management and staff must work collectively to spur a change. Although this may seem like a daunting task, the return on investment is high, including higher levels of employee job satisfaction and less missed nursing care.
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