• Kelley Kilpatrick.
• Faculty of Nursing, University of Montreal, Montreal, QC, Canada. kelley.kilpatrick@umontreal.ca
• J Clin Nurs. 2013 Sep 1;22(17-18):2636-47.

Aims And ObjectivesTo describe how acute care nurse practitioners affect perceptions of team effectiveness.BackgroundAcute care nurse practitioners provide safe and effective care to patients. There is limited evidence of the effects of acute care nurse practitioner roles on healthcare teams, and many of the findings are contradictory. Research is lacking to describe how nurse practitioners affect perceptions of team effectiveness.DesignA descriptive multiple-case study undertaken in two university-affiliated teaching hospitals in Canada.MethodsData were collected from March-May 2009. Data sources included interviews (n = 59), time and motion study, non-participant observations, documents and field notes. Interviews were conducted individually or in groups using a semi-structured interview guide. Data were analysed within and across the cases to identify similarities and differences in perceptions of team effectiveness.ResultsTeam members believed the nurse practitioners improved the team's effectiveness. They identified six team processes they believed were improved by the addition of the nurse practitioners to the teams. The processes included decision-making, communication, cohesion, care coordination, problem-solving and focus on patients and families.DiscussionThe study contributes to our understanding of how nurse practitioners affect perceptions of team effectiveness. Improved team communication and care coordination were believed to be particularly important. Nurse practitioner can facilitate patient- and family-centred care in healthcare teams.ConclusionNurse practitioners improve perceptions of team effectiveness. Further work is needed in different contexts and with patients and families to determine their perceptions of team effectiveness.Relevance To Clinical PracticeThe nurse practitioner role was believed to be particularly important to improve team communication and care coordination. This constitutes an added value of acute care nurse practitioners roles in healthcare teams. Nurse practitioner roles contribute to patient-centred care and can improve the quality and safety of the care provided to patients and families.© 2013 Blackwell Publishing Ltd.

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