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IntroductionIncreased globalisation and technological advancements have led to the emergence of distributed teams in various sectors, including healthcare. However, our understanding of how leadership, communication and collaboration influence distributed healthcare teams remains limited.ObjectivesThis study aimed to map knowledge on leadership, communication and collaboration in short-term distributed teams across various fields to gain insights that could benefit healthcare.DesignScoping review.Data sourceA database search of PubMed, CINAHL, Scopus and PsycINFO was conducted in May 2021 and updated in February 2023 and May 2024.Eligibility criteriaArticles were eligible if they involved leadership, communication or collaboration in distributed short-term teams supported by synchronised audio-visual communication technology. Two researchers independently screened titles, abstracts and full texts for inclusion.Data extraction and synthesisExtracted data on leadership, communication and collaboration were synthesised narratively and reported in terms of patterns, advances, gaps, evidence for practice and research recommendations.ResultsAmong 6591 articles, 55 met the eligibility criteria, spanning military, engineering, business, industrial and healthcare contexts. The research focus has shifted over time from adverse effects to solutions for overcoming challenges in distributed teams. Inclusive leadership is vital for engaging all team members. ‘Team opacity’, the absence of non-verbal cues and reduced awareness of team members’ actions, can occur in distributed teams relying on technology. Clear communication is crucial for avoiding misunderstandings and fostering collaboration and adaptability. Developing shared mental models and trust is more challenging, leading to uncertainty and reduced information sharing. There is a lack of studies examining how to apply this knowledge to health professionals’ education.ConclusionOur findings highlight the importance of implementing strategies in healthcare to enhance inclusive leadership and improve communication in distributed healthcare settings. More empirical research is needed to understand the intricacy of distributed healthcare settings and identify effective ways to train distributed healthcare teams.

Background Patient participation is advocated in various healthcare settings. Instruments for assessment and feedback have been developed to strengthen clinician-patient interaction. In an emergency department context, such instruments are still missing. The study aimed to develop and test an observation tool for emergency teams’ behaviour regarding patient involvement and collaboration. Methods The development of the behavioural observation tool followed a systematic approach. The tool’s content was based on various data sources, i.e., published literature, interview and observational data, and expert consensus. An international expert panel reviewed the content and the rating scale and rated its importance for patient involvement and collaboration in a Delphi process. The feasibility and reliability of the tool were tested by trained observers using video recordings of simulated emergencies. Intraclass correlation (ICC) and Kappa-statistics were performed to test the tool’s inter-rater reliability. Results The PIC-ET tool, a 22-item observation instrument was developed in which patient involvement and collaboration behaviours are rated from ‘no’ to ‘high’ using behavioural anchors. Expert agreement was obtained after three Delphi rounds on the tool content, the behavioural anchors and its importance for patient involvement and collaboration. The content validity was assessed as high, and the tool was found feasible for research. Overall inter-rater reliability was fair (Kappa 0.52). Conclusions A novel tool for assessing emergency teams’ behaviour regarding patient involvement and collaboration is introduced. The tool’s psychometric properties were fair to good. Further validation of the PIC-ET tool is recommended for more robust evidence. Future adaptation to different contexts and areas of use, as well as further validity testing may be of value.

IntroductionThe COVID-19 pandemic flooded intensive care units with patients needing supportive care. In Scandinavia, the greater Stockholm area was among the most affected. This study aimed to capture healthcare workers’ conditions and challenges during this prolonged crisis, including perspectives from the intensive care team.MethodsThe data consist of 22 semistructured individual interviews with regular and temporary healthcare workers involved in the intensive care of COVID-19 patients, including nurse assistants, registered nurses, critical care nurses and consultant and junior physicians. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data.ResultsThe overarching theme that emerged was trying to create order in chaos.The theme encompassed four categories: adaptation with consequences, learning and growing while sacrificing my health, supporting and balancing staff resources without having enough, and challenging ICU values and standards. Each category comprised multiple subcategories.ConclusionOur study demonstrates challenges and identifies workarounds, support strategies and personnel learning experienced by COVID-19 intensive care teams in delivering patient care, ensuring patient safety and managing staff resilience. The findings can be used to better prepare for future crises.

Background Patient participation is associated with satisfaction and improved health‐related outcomes. In gastrointestinal endoscopy, patient participation is an underexplored area. Objective To gain understanding on patients' experiences, attitudes and preferences concerning patient participation in the endoscopy pathway. Methods Semi‐structured interviews with endoscopy patients (n = 17, female n = 8, male n = 9, ages 19‐80 years) were performed. Interview transcripts were analysed using qualitative content analysis. Participants were recruited by purposive sampling from an endoscopy unit in a Swedish university hospital. Inclusion:≥ 18 years, fluency in Swedish and recent experience of endoscopy at the unit. Results Five generic categories emerged, two within the area of the patient's role, which was described as active or passive/included or excluded. Another three generic categories related to factors, critical to active participation, including organizational aspects, impressions of staff and individual circumstances were identified. In this context, patient participation described in the interviews was on a low to basic level, although sometimes reaching a higher level when staff ‘invited’ patients in decision making. Discussion This study contributes to the understanding of patient participation in endoscopy. Patients are in an inferior position and need support from the staff for an active role in their care. Although there were variations on the perceived importance of different factors, a heavy responsibility lies on the endoscopy staff to acknowledge the patients' individual needs and to facilitate patient participation. Conclusions Endoscopy staff has a key role in supporting patient participation. In endoscopy settings, patient participation is vulnerable to multiple factors.

Introduction: Telemedicine provides opportunities for access to health care in remote and underserved areas. In parts of northern nurses during on-call hours. This can be called 'tele-emergency'. Patient participation, often described as mutual information exchange, a trustful relationship and involvement in decisionmaking, is challenged in emergency care by short encounters, deteriorating patients and a stressful work situation. Nevertheless, patient participation may be important for the patients' experience. Healthcare professionals (HCPs) have been identified as 'gatekeepers' for patient participation, therefore putting their perspective in focus is important. As emergency care in rural areas is increasingly turning toward telemedicine, patient participation in tele-emergencies needs to be better understood. The aim of this study was to explore and characterise HCPs' perspectives of patient participation in tele-emergencies in northern rural Sweden. Methods: A qualitative design based on interviews was used. HCPs working in cottage hospitals in northern rural Sweden were included. Semi-structured interviews were performed, first, in multidisciplinary groups of three informants. Later, because of limited experience of tele-emergencies in the groups, individual interviews with HCPs with substantial experience were added. A qualitative content analysis of the interview transcripts was conducted. Results: A total of 44 HCPs from northern inland Sweden participated in the interviews. The content analysis resulted in two themes, six categories and 19 subcategories. Theme 1, 'To see, understand, and to build trust through the digital rural Sweden telemedicine is used to connect a remote physician by a video-conference system to an emergency room, staffed by barrier', contains descriptions of the interpersonal relationship between the patient and the HCPs, and the challenges when interacting with the patient during a tele-emergency. The informants also described a need for boundaries between the professional team and the patient. The categories in theme 1 are 'understanding the patient's point of view', 'building a trustful relationship', and 'needing a private space without the patient'. Theme 2, 'The (im)balance of power - tele-emergency reinforces the positions', mirrors the power asymmetry in the patient- professional relationship, and the potential impact of the teleemergency on the different roles. Tele-emergencies were described as a risk that potentially could weaken the patient's position, but also as providing an opportunity to share power. Categories in theme 2 are 'medical conditions limit patient participation', 'patient involvement in decision-making requires understanding' and 'the inferior patient and the superior professionals'. Conclusion: This study sheds light on patient participation in teleemergencies in a remote rural setting from the HCP's perspective. The tele-emergency set-up affected patient participation by interfering with familiar patient-HCP relationships and changing group dynamics in interactions with the patient. Due to the extensive changes of the conditions for patient participation imposed in tele-emergencies, suggestions for actions improving patient participation are made.

Background Delivering emergency care in rural areas can be challenging, but video consultation (VC) offers opportunities to make healthcare more accessible. The communication and relationship between professionals and patients have a significant impact on the patient’s experience of safety and inclusion. Understanding the patient perspective is crucial to developing good quality healthcare, but little is known about patient experiences of emergency care via VC in a rural context. The aim of this study was to explore patient experiences of emergency care via VC in northern rural Sweden. Methods Using a qualitative approach, semi- structured interviews ( n  = 12) were conducted with individuals aged 18—89 who had received emergency care with a registered nurse (RN) on site and VC with a general practitioner (GP). The interviews were conducted between October 2021 and March 2023 at community hospitals ( n  = 7) in Västerbotten County, Sweden. Interviews were analysed with content analysis. Results The analysis resulted in main categories ( n  = 2), categories ( n  = 5) and subcategories ( n  = 20). In the main category, “We were a team of three”, patients described a sense of inclusion and ability to contribute. The patients perceived the interaction between the GP and RN to function well despite being geographically dispersed. Patients highly valued the opportunity to speak directly to the GP. In the main category, “VC was a two-sided coin”, some experienced the emergency care through VC to be effective and smooth, while some felt that they received a lower quality of care and preferred face-to-face consultation with the GP. The quality of the VC was highly dependent on the RN’s ability to function as the hub in the emergency room. Conclusion Patients in rural areas perceived being included in 'the team' during VC, however they experienced disadvantages with the system on individual basis. The nursing profession plays an important role, and a proper educational background is crucial to support RNs in their role as the hub of the visit. The GP’s presence via VC was seen as important, but to fully enable them to fulfil their commitments as medical professionals, VC needs to be further improved with education and support from technical devices.

Background In northern rural Sweden, telemedicine is used to improve access to healthcare and to provide patient-centered care. In emergency care during on-call hours, video-conference systems are used to connect the physicians to the rest of the team – creating ‘distributed teams’. Patient participation is a core competency for healthcare professionals. Knowledge about how distributed teamwork affects patient participation is missing. The aim was to investigate if and how teamwork affecting patient participation, as well as clinicians’ perceptions regarding shared decision-making differ between co-located and distributed emergency teams. Methods In an observational study with a randomized cross-over design, healthcare professionals ( n  = 51) participated in authentic teams ( n  = 17) in two scripted simulated emergency scenarios with a standardized patient: one as a co-located team and the other as a distributed team. Team performances were filmed and observed by independent raters using the PIC-ET tool to rate patient participation behavior. The participants individually filled out the Dyadic OPTION questionnaire after the respective scenarios to measure perceptions of shared decision-making. Scores in both instruments were translated to percentage of a maximum score. The observational data between the two settings were compared using linear mixed-effects regression models and the self-reported questionnaire data were compared using one-way ANOVA. Neither the participants nor the observers were blinded to the allocations. Results A significant difference in observer rated overall patient participation behavior was found, mean 51.1 (± 11.5) % for the co-located teams vs 44.7 (± 8.6) % for the distributed teams ( p  = 0.02). In the PIC-ET tool category ‘Sharing power’, the scores decreased from 14.4 (± 12.4) % in the co-located teams to 2 (± 4.4) % in the distributed teams ( p  = 0.001). Co-located teams scored in mean 60.5% (± 14.4) when self-assessing shared decision-making, vs 55.8% (± 15.1) in the distributed teams ( p  = 0.03). Conclusions Team behavior enabling patient participation was found decreased in distributed teams, especially regarding sharing power with the patient. This finding was also mirrored in the self-assessments of the healthcare professionals. This study highlights the risk of an increased power asymmetry between patients and distributed emergency teams and can serve as a basis for further research, education, and quality improvement.

Background Multi-disciplinary behavioral research on acute care teams has focused on understanding how teams work and on identifying behaviors characteristic of efficient and effective team performance. We aimed to define important knowledge gaps and establish a research agenda for the years ahead of prioritized research questions in this field of applied health research. Methods In the first step, high-priority research questions were generated by a small highly specialized group of 29 experts in the field, recruited from the multinational and multidisciplinary “Behavioral Sciences applied to Acute care teams and Surgery (BSAS)” research network – a cross-European, interdisciplinary network of researchers from social sciences as well as from the medical field committed to understanding the role of behavioral sciences in the context of acute care teams. A consolidated list of 59 research questions was established. In the second step, 19 experts attending the 2020 BSAS annual conference quantitatively rated the importance of each research question based on four criteria – usefulness, answerability, effectiveness, and translation into practice. In the third step, during half a day of the BSAS conference, the same group of 19 experts discussed the prioritization of the research questions in three online focus group meetings and established recommendations. Results Research priorities identified were categorized into six topics: (1) interventions to improve team process; (2) dealing with and implementing new technologies; (3) understanding and measuring team processes; (4) organizational aspects impacting teamwork; (5) training and health professions education; and (6) organizational and patient safety culture in the healthcare domain. Experts rated the first three topics as particularly relevant in terms of research priorities; the focus groups identified specific research needs within each topic. Conclusions Based on research priorities within the BSAS community and the broader field of applied health sciences identified through this work, we advocate for the prioritization for funding in these areas.

Contemporary learning technologies, such as massively multiplayer virtual worlds (MMVW), create new means for teaching and training. However, knowledge about the effectiveness of such training is incomplete, and there are no data regarding how students experience it. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) is a field within medicine in high demand for new and effective training modalities. In addition to finding a feasible way to implement CPR training, our aim was to investigate how a serious game setting in a virtual world using avatars would influence medical students' subjective experiences as well as their retention of knowledge. An MMVW was refined and used in a study to train 12 medical students in CPR in 3-person teams in a repeated fashion 6 months apart. An exit questionnaire solicited reflections over their experiences. As the subjects trained in 4 CPR scenarios, measurements of self-efficacy, concentration, and mental strain were made in addition to measuring knowledge. Engagement modes and coping strategies were also studied. Parametric and nonparametric statistical analyses were carried out according to distribution of the data. The majority of the subjects reported that they had enjoyed the training, had found it to be suitable, and had learned something new, although several asked for more difficult and complex scenarios as well as a richer virtual environment. The mean values for knowledge dropped during the 6 months from 8.0/10 to 6.25/10 (P = .002). Self-efficacy increased from before to after each of the two training sessions, from 5.9/7 to 6.5/7 (P = .01) after the first and from 6.0/7 to 6.7/7 (P = .03) after the second. The mean perceived concentration value increased from 54.2/100 to 66.6/100 (P = .006), and in general the mental strain was found to be low to moderate (mean = 2.6/10). Using scenario-based virtual world team training with avatars to train medical students in multi-person CPR was feasible and showed promising results. Although we found no evidence of stimulated recall of CPR procedures in our test-retest study, the subjects were enthusiastic and reported increased concentration during the training. We also found that subjects' self-efficacy had increased after the training. Despite the need for further studies, these findings imply several possible uses of MMVW technology for future emergency medical training.

Background Operating rooms have become more technically complex due to new advanced procedures, which has increased demands on teamwork in the operating room. In response, team training has been proposed to improve team performance, workplace culture, and patient safety. We developed and delivered a simulation-based team training course for entire professional surgical teams. This type of intervention has been proposed by researchers but has not been widely published. The aims of this intervention study were to examine participants’ reactions to the course in terms of their motivation for the training and their self-efficacy in relation to their performance, as well as their views on transferring the lessons learned in the course to their workplace. Methods In a prospective mixed-methods intervention study, operating room professionals participated in a full-day simulation-based teamwork training course. Learning objectives were nontechnical skills, specifically communication and collaboration across the team. Seventy-one staff members representing 5 operating room professions were included, and the average work experience of participants was 6 years. Quantitative data on self-efficacy and situational motivation were collected by questionnaires before and after training. Qualitative data were collected through 5 focus group interviews that took place in direct relation to the courses and included a total of 31 participants. Transcripts were coded and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results All occupations showed a similar pattern in terms of increases in self-efficacy and intrinsic motivation after the training. Analysis of the qualitative data showed that training in one’s profession and in authentic multiprofessional teams was important factors for motivation. Participating staff described an awareness of undesirable communication barriers in surgical teams that can lead to risks for patients. Systematic training was definitely perceived as a means to reduce barriers and improve communication and collaboration. Conclusion Simulation-based training was equally well received by all professional groups. Our results confirm the feasibility of this type of training for professional teams and promising opportunities for improving teamwork skills. The qualitative data reveal both opportunities and limitations for transferring the learning experiences to the workplace.