Team functioning and implementation of innovations in healthcare and human service settings: a systematic review protocol

Abstract

Background Healthcare and human services increasingly rely on teams of individuals to deliver services. Implementation of evidence-based practices and other innovations in these settings requires teams to work together to change processes and behaviors. Accordingly, team functioning may be a key determinant of implementation outcomes. This systematic review will identify and summarize empirical research examining associations between team functioning and implementation outcomes in healthcare and human service settings. Methods We will conduct a comprehensive search of bibliographic databases (e.g., MEDLINE, PsycINFO, CINAHL, ERIC) for articles published from January 2000 or later. We will include peer-reviewed empirical articles and conference abstracts using quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. We will include experimental or observational studies that report on the implementation of an innovation in a healthcare or human service setting and examine associations between team functioning and implementation outcomes. Implementation outcomes of interest are acceptability, adoption, appropriateness, cost, feasibility, fidelity, penetration, and sustainability. Two reviewers will independently screen all titles/abstracts, review full-text articles, and extract data from included articles. We will use the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool to assess methodological quality/bias and conduct a narrative synthesis without meta-analysis. Discussion Understanding how team functioning influences implementation outcomes will contribute to our understanding of team-level barriers and facilitators of change. The results of this systematic review will inform efforts to implement evidence-based practices in team-based service settings. Systematic review registration PROSPERO CRD42020220168

Mapping the road to elimination: a 5-year evaluation of implementation strategies associated with hepatitis C treatment in the veterans health administration

“…Another key finding was that team function and “teamness” were important for early success, while other site characteristics (e.g., size, location, and complexity) were not [ 31 ]. We found that earlier adopter sites had higher team functioning related to Cohesion, Communication, and Role Clarity.…”

Associations between teamwork and implementation outcomes in multidisciplinary cross-sector teams implementing a mental health screening and referral protocol

“…We use the term “teamwork” to refer to a broad array of team constructs, including team structure (e.g., size, composition), processes and emergent states (e.g., communication, cohesion), and team performance/effectiveness. Although much is known about implementation barriers, facilitators, and strategies at the individual and organizational levels, less is known about how team constructs are associated with implementation processes and outcomes [ 9 , 10 ].…”

The imperative of collaboration: Lived experience perspectives on team approaches in outpatient eating disorder treatment

“…Teams are an integral feature of healthcare, often defined as a group of health professionals with diverse skills, varied responsibilities, and representing distinct disciplines, but with common objectives related to patient care (McGuier et al, 2021). Despite the seemingly clear definition of a team, two terms are often used interchangeably to describe conceptually distinct approaches (Ghebrehiwet et al, 2016), that is, "multidisciplinary" and "interprofessional" (Sheehan et al, 2007).…”