title: Benefits and losses: a qualitative study exploring healthcare staff perceptions of teamworking.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine staff perceptions of teamworking practice in the field of stroke care.
  
  
  METHODS
  Qualitative interview study.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three teams providing care to patients with stroke across a typical care pathway of acute hospital ward, specialist stroke unit, and community rehabilitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  37 staff members from a range of professions.
  
  
  METHODS
  Healthcare staff perceptions of teamworking.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Through detailed coding and analysis of the transcripts, five perceptions regarding the impact of teamworking on staff and patients were identified. These were: (1) mutual staff support, (2) knowledge and skills sharing, (3) timely intervention/discharge, (4) reduced individual decision-making and responsibility and (5) impact on patient contact time.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Teamworking practice may be associated with a number of perceived benefits for staff and patient care; however, the potential for losses resulting from reduced patient contact time and ill-defined responsibility needs further investigation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Human Communication Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK. s.k.baxter@sheffield.ac.uk
authors.forename: S K
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Baxter
authors.forename: S M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Brumfitt
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008503:Medical Staff / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D015279:Organizational Culture; D017063:Outcome Assessment, Health Care; D010348:Patient Care Team; D036301:Qualitative Research