Understanding team dynamics to promote team building in a radiotherapy department

Background:Teamwork is a central framework in healthcare delivery. Team dynamics can impact the team as a whole and has been identified within the literature as a contributory factor to quality and safety, patient satisfaction, staff satisfaction and overall performance. Within radiation therapy (RT), teamwork is essential in the delivery of high-quality care, yet team building and team development is under-reported.Aim:The focus of this research is to form a better understanding of what plays an impact on teams in a large urban RT cancer centre and how to better engage staff to work together, improve team dynamics and promote team building.Materials and Methods:An electronic search of the literature was conducted to better inform debate and aid in the development of team-building sessions in a busy radiotherapy department. Abstracts were screened and relevant articles selected if they met the search criteria that included relevancy related to team building, contributory factors on team dynamics, team-based learning, team performance and implication of civility.Results:A total of 45 articles were included in the final analysis. The majority were from the disciplines of medicine (45%), business (22%) and nursing (18%). Only 3 of the 45 articles (7%) focused on the profession of RT. Most articles discussed more than 1 theme with team dynamics and team building being the most common themes discussed in 16 articles each (36%). Other common themes included teamwork (31%), respect and civility (20%), leadership and hierarchy (11%), medical errors (11%) and team training (11%). Only 3 of the 45 articles (7%) focused on RT.Conclusion:There is a lack of longitudinal evidence to support the impact of team building sessions to improve team dynamics and promote a positive, cohesive team environment. Specifically within RT, the impact team building has on team dynamics has been under investigation.Highlights:High-quality patient care can be linked to team collaboration and cohesiveness. Changing the culture within a team and engaging in civility and respect in everyday practice has the potential to improve team dynamics, patient safety, staff and patient satisfaction.