title: Nursing teams caring for hospitalised older adults.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To offer an explanation of how registered nurses' are providing care to hospitalised older adults in nursing teams comprised of a variety of roles and educational levels.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Around the globe economic pressures, nursing shortages and increased patient acuity have resulted in tasks being shifted to healthcare workers with less education and fewer qualifications than registered nurses. In acute care hospitals, this often means reducing the number of registered nurses and adding licensed practical nurses and care aides (also referred to as unregulated healthcare workers) to the nursing care team. The implications of these changes are not well understood especially in the context of hospitalised older adults, who are complex and the most common care recipients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Thematic analysis of data that were collected in a previous grounded theory study to provide an opportunity in-depth analysis of how nurses provided care to hospitalised older adults within nursing teams.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data collected in western Canada on two hospital units in two different health authorities were analysed in relation to how nursing teams provide care. Hand coding and thematic analysis were employed.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The themes of scrutinised skill mix and working together highlighted how the established nursing value of reciprocity is challenging to enact in teams with a variety of scopes of practice. The value of reciprocity both aided and hindered the nursing team in engaging in team behaviours to effectively manage patient care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Educators and leaders could assist the nursing care team in re-thinking how they engage in teamwork by providing education about roles and communication techniques to support teams and ultimately improve nursing care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The value of reciprocity within nursing teams needs to be re-examined within the context of team members with varying abilities to reciprocate in kind.
authors: Faculty of Nursing, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, Canada.
authors: Sherry
authors: S
authors: Dahlke
authors: School of Nursing, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.|Canadian Institute of Health Research, Canadian Gerontological Nurses Association, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, Canada.
authors: Jennifer
authors: J
authors: Baumbusch
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002170:Canada; D005260:Female; D006299:Health Services for the Aged / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D024802:Nurse's Role; D009726:Nurses; D009746:Nursing, Team
keywords: acute care; nurse; nurse roles; older people; qualitative study; skill mix