Barriers and facilitators of conducting research with team science approach: a systematic review

Abstract

Background The present review aimed to systematically identify and classify barriers and facilitators of conducting research with a team science approach. Methods PubMed, EMBASE, PsycINFO, Scopus, Web of Science, Emerald, and ProQuest databases were searched for primary research studies conducted using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. Studies examining barriers and facilitators of research with a team science approach were included in search. Two independent reviewers screened the texts, extracted and coded the data. Quality assessment was performed for all 35 included articles. The identified barriers and facilitators were categorized within Human, Organization, and Technology model. Results A total of 35 studies from 9,381 articles met the inclusion criteria, from which 42 barriers and 148 facilitators were identified. Human barriers were characteristics of the researchers, teaming skills, and time. We consider Human facilitators across nine sub-themes as follows: characteristics of the researchers, roles, goals, communication, trust, conflict, disciplinary distances, academic rank, and collaboration experience. The barriers related to organization were institutional policies, team science integration, and funding. Organizational facilitators were as follows: team science skills training, institutional policies, and evaluation. Facilitators in the field of technology included virtual readiness and data management, and the technology barriers were complexity of techniques and privacy issues. Conclusions We identified major barriers and facilitators for conducting research with team science approach. The findings have important connotations for ongoing and future implementation of this intervention strategy in research. The analysis of this review provides evidence to inform policy-makers, funding providers, researchers, and students on the existing barriers and facilitators of team science research. Trial registration This review was prospectively registered on PROSPERO database (PROSPERO 2021 CRD42021278704).

Teamwork makes medical education research training work

“…Such a focus on team science has accelerated discoveries in biomedical research, though this approach has been applied less frequently to medical education research. Additionally, a lack of training in team science skills has been identified as the most pervasive barrier to using this approach to research 1 . To prepare future education researchers to engage in team science and gain exposure to the expertise of different professionals working in medical education, we propose a model for medical education research training that emphasises co‐teaching as an active learning strategy to practice team science within a classroom environment.…”

“…Co‐teaching relies on facilitators with different content expertise and professional experience to provide well‐rounded feedback and perspectives. Many facets of successful co‐teaching overlap with those of team science, including clear roles, goals, communication and collaboration 1 . By role‐modelling team science through implementing a co‐teaching model for clinicians taking an education research course during their Master of Medical Education (MEd) programme, we aimed to (1) provide instruction from facilitators with varied expertise to demonstrate the advantages of team science and (2) optimise facilitators' time by assigning roles based on their training and experiences.…”

Towards a Vision for Team Science at Tilburg University

“…Lastly, high task interdependence means that the success of the entire project depends on each member's contributions, amplifying the effects of any discordance or inefficiency within the team. Overcoming these challenges requires institutional support, strategic management, and effective communication (Conn et al 2019;Surratt et al 2023;Read et al 2016;Jeong and Choi 2015;Forscher et al 2023;Campbell-Voytal et al 2015;O'Rourke et al 2023;Ghamgosar, Nemati-Anaraki, and Panahi 2023).…”

“…Central to effective teamwork are processes like team mental models and transactive memory, which entail shared understanding of task requirements, procedures, role responsibilities, and an awareness of each member's knowledge and expertise (Patel et al 2021;Ghamgosar, Nemati-Anaraki, and Panahi 2023;Mehta and Mehta 2018).…”