Teamwork and use of teams in services for older people: a qualitative study of finnish nurse managers' experiences.

BACKGROUND

In Finnish services for older people, teams (a permanent group with a common task, divided for example by geographical or spatial criteria) have been implemented with the goal of improving the quality of care, individualized care and continuity of care as well as the wellbeing of nurses. Our aim was to describe nurse managers' experiences of using teams in home care and assisted living with 24/7 services.

METHODS

The qualitative data used in the study was collected in May 2023 as part of a national survey on care organization for all units (n = 2996) offering care services for older people in Finland. Nurse managers working in home care and nurse managers working in assisted living with 24/7 services were asked to describe the benefits and challenges they have faced with the use of teams.

RESULTS

Nurse managers highlighted that using teams enabled better planning and evaluation of client care, nurses' better wellbeing and ability to cope with work demands, and higher quality of care. Perceived challenges were incorporating temporary workforce into teams, the frequent poor collaboration between different teams, and perceived hindrance of professional development.

CONCLUSIONS

Teamwork might be beneficial for promoting wellbeing at work and for reducing the psychosocial burden experienced by nurses as well as increasing both the quality and continuity of care. Maintaining and developing the professional skills of nurses needs to be ensured, and adequate collaboration between the teams is required, especially with the rapid increase in the use of temporary workforce.