The Influence of Team Dynamics on Clinical Performance and Decision-Making in Nursing Practice

Posted: Nov 28, 2023

• Dominic Ellis
• Harley Boyd
• Vivian Greene

Abstract

The critical role of nursing teams in healthcare delivery has been widely acknowledged, yet the specific mechanisms through which team dynamics influence clinical performance remain inadequately understood. Traditional research approaches have predominantly relied on qualitative assessments and self-report measures, which, while valuable, often fail to capture the complex, dynamic nature of team interactions in clinical environments. This study addresses this gap by introducing an innovative computational modeling framework that quantitatively analyzes how specific team interaction patterns influence clinical decision-making and patient outcomes. Nursing practice represents a particularly compelling domain for studying team dynamics due to its high-stakes environment, time-sensitive decision requirements, and complex interdependencies among team members. The conventional understanding of nursing team effectiveness has largely focused on individual competencies and standardized protocols. However, emerging evidence suggests that the interactions between team members—their communication patterns, role clarity, mutual trust, and collective problem-solving approaches—may be equally, if not more, important than individual capabilities. This research was guided by three primary questions: How do specific communication patterns within nursing teams influence clinical decision-making accuracy? What team structure