Assessing teamwork perceptions and challenges in a South African district hospital

Abstract

Background: The South African healthcare sector faces many challenges that jeopardise safety and quality of care. Amid these challenges, effective teamwork is essential to promote safe and quality healthcare services. This study aimed to measure the overall teamwork perception among healthcare professionals at National District Hospital (NDH) and compare differences in perceptions across healthcare disciplines and departments.
Methods: An analytical cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire distributed among all healthcare professionals at NDH. The questionnaire consisted of a demographic section and the validated Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) 2.0 Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire (T-TPQ).
Results: The overall mean teamwork perception score among healthcare professionals was 3.7 (74%). While no statistically significant difference was found across disciplines (p = 0.434) and departments (p = 0.066), hospital-wide analysis identified situational monitoring (72%) and leadership (73%) as the weakest domains. Conversely, communication (79%) was the strongest domain. Critical unit-specific deficits were identified in the leadership domain of two departments.
Conclusion: The overall perception of teamwork was acceptable. However, targeted interventions are required to improve situational monitoring hospital-wide and to address the leadership challenges found in some departments. These findings provide evidence-based direction for quality improvement within this specific district hospital setting. The T-TPQ is a valuable tool that all institutions should utilise to assess their healthcare services independently and identify strategies to improve teamwork.
Contribution: This study enhances the limited existing literature on teamwork and its assessment within healthcare settings, particularly within the context of South African district health services.