The importance of teamwork in a skilled nursing and rehab Dyer IN facility
A recent study published by BMC Health Services Research* confirms that staff interaction patterns have a big impact on the quality of resident care and on staff satisfaction. The study looked at four nursing care facilities by reviewing organizational charts, survey reports and staff member interviews. Researchers identified and categorized staff member behaviors into two distinct patterns: the common pattern, and the positive pattern.
Common pattern behaviors included avoiding collaboration, blaming others, ignoring others, scolding, saying, “It’s not my job”, passing the buck to someone else.
In contrast, in the positive pattern, staff members: 
- Gave praise
- Made suggestions
- Brainstormed
- Shared information
- Showed enthusiasm
- Listened to multiple perspectives
- Were approachable
- Pitched in
- Coached or mentored
- Paid attention
- Asked questions
The list of positive staff behaviors is much longer than this. It’s not surprising to learn that the study found that “positive interactions and communication strategies fostered connections between staff members, allowing for new information exchange and diversity of cognitive schema.” Staff members acknowledged that their intentional use of positive interaction strategies enabled them to “provide better care and create better work environments.”
Findings like these are why we at Dyer Nursing and Rehabilitation Center provide training and support for everyone on our staff to work collaboratively across disciplines. Working together as part of a multidisciplinary care team is one of the keys to maximizing patient outcomes. For more information about our philosophy or to schedule a tour of our facility, see About Us .
*This study was a collaboration between The University of Texas at Austin, Duke University, and The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.