Cultural diversity in multiprofessional teams in healthcare and patient safety
Cultural diversity is a reality in Sweden and the issue of representation and integration of minorities in the labour market is not only in the headlines but also high on the political agenda. The topic is also intensively explored in work-related research.
Issues of team collaboration and team performance are particularly critical in areas where life and health are at stake, such as healthcare. In healthcare in particular, the question is not IF a hospital or other healthcare organisation wants cultural diversity in the workplace, but rather HOW to manage the diversity in which healthcare services are increasingly provided in teams of culturally diverse individuals.
The development of team-based working in the health sector is seen as a key to improving the quality of health care and as an important tool for constructing a more patient-centred, coordinated and efficient health service. However, barriers to creating effective team working processes often compromise patient safety in healthcare and account for up to a third of all incidents.
The project aims to investigate why and how cultural diversity and other intersectional factors in multiprofessional care teams affect patient safety and what context-specific conditions are needed to reach the teams' potential.
- How do individuals from different cultural backgrounds work together in teams in a healthcare context?
- What processes occur in multi-professional team collaboration?
- What is the impact of multiprofessional team composition on patient safety?
- How do health professionals experience working in culturally diverse and multiprofessional health care teams?
- How can leadership and training affect performance in multiprofessional care teams?
The project is carried out in collaboration between JA, JIBS, Metodikum and Qulturum under the project management of Timur Uman and funded by the Jan Wallander and Tom Hedelius Foundation and Futurum.
The project started in February 2021 and will run for 4 years. Data will be collected through observations of simulator situations and individual interviews.
Researchers:
Norbert Steigenberger, Associate Professor, JIBS
Magnus Berndtzon, Head of Department Metodikum, Ryhov County Hospital, Jönköping
