title: Effective communication and teamwork promotes patient safety.
abstract: Teamwork requires co-operation, co-ordination and communication between members of a team to achieve desired outcomes. In industries with a high degree of risk, such as health care, effective teamwork has been shown to achieve team goals successfully and efficiently, with fewer errors. This article introduces behaviours that support communication, co-operation and co-ordination in teams. The central role of communication in enabling co-operation and co-ordination is explored. A human factors perspective is used to examine tools to improve communication and identify barriers to effective team communication in health care.
authors.affiliation: School of Health Professions, Murdoch University, Mandurah, Western Australia.
authors.forename: Heather
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Gluyas
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D003142:Communication; D006801:Humans; D009746:Nursing, Team; D012449:Safety
keywords: Communication; co-operation; human factors; patient safety; revalidation; structured communication tools; team briefing; teamwork