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Relationships Among Teams, Culture, Safety, and Cost Outcomes

John C. Lincoln North Mountain Hospital, Phoenix, AZ

The objective of this study is to test the transtheoretical integration model, which proposes relationships among team-based phenomena and patient safety and resource-use outcome variables. The sample consisted of 411 nursing staff (n = 372) and multidisciplinary team members (n = 39) from 16 medical surgical units. Staff were surveyed to evaluate their perceptions of hospital culture, work group design, and positive and negative team processes. Managers provided data concerning outcome variables of patient falls with injury, average length of stay (LOS), and labor and supply expenses for their patient care units. A group-type hospital culture predicted fewer patient falls with injury; a developmental-type hospital culture predicted higher patient care unit costs. Team design and processes were predictive of longer LOS for patients on medical-surgical units. Conclusions of the study were that hospital contexts external to the patient care unit may be important contributors to patient safety and resource use on nursing units.

Key Words: teams • hospital culture • safety outcomes • cost outcomes • work environment

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