title: Nursing teams: behind the charts.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To examine the nature and characteristics of both received and provided mutual support in a social network within an acute care hospital unit.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Current evidence regarding the social network in the health care workforce reveals the nature of social ties. Most studies of social network-related support that measured the characteristics of social support used self-reported perception from workers receiving support. There is a gap in studies that focus on back-up behaviour.
  
  
  METHODS
  The evaluation included a social network analysis of a nursing unit employing 54 staff members. A 12 item electronic survey was administered. Descriptive statistics were calculated using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences. Social network analyses were carried out using ucinet, r 3.2.3 and gephi.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Based on the study findings, as providers of mutual support the nursing staff claimed to give their peers more help than these peers gave them credit for. Those who worked overtime provided more mutual support.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Mutual support is a key teamwork characteristic, essential to quality and safety in hospital nursing teams that can be evaluated using social network analysis.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Because of a discrepancy regarding receiving and providing help, examining both receiver and provider networks is a superior approach to understanding mutual support.
authors.affiliation: Ewha Womans University, College of Nursing, Seoul, Korea.
authors.forename: Sung-Heui
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4185-9543
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Bae
authors.affiliation: University at Buffalo, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Buffalo, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Alireza
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Farasat
authors.affiliation: University at Buffalo, Department of Industrial and Systems Engineering, Buffalo, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Alex
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Nikolaev
authors.affiliation: Hunter-Bellevue School of Nursing, Hunter College, CUNY, New York, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jin Young
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Seo
authors.affiliation: University at Buffalo, School of Nursing, Buffalo, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Foltz-Ramos
authors.affiliation: University at Buffalo, School of Nursing, Buffalo, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Donna
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Fabry
authors.affiliation: University at Buffalo, School of Nursing, Buffalo, NY, USA.
authors.forename: Jessica
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Castner
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009511:New England; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards; D012944:Social Support; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D017132:Workplace / Q000523:psychology* / Q000592:standards
keywords: hospitals; mutual support; nursing team; social network; teamwork