The articles in this edition are all about teamwork. As a nurse leader, you may be wondering, "So, what's new? We've worked in teams forever. One of our most common models of care has been Team Nursing, in one form or another. We've got this team stuff down."
It's true that nurses have worked in teams since the days when we moved much of our practice from private homes to hospitals. What is new is the increasing emphasis on cross-functional, interprofessional, multiple provider (across the continuum) teamwork. Because of this, we are devoting more time and resources to the study of the effectiveness and efficiency expected when we forge new partnerships with individuals from other professions.
As Landman, Aannestad, Smoldt, and Cortese state on page ___, "There is a substantial and growing body of evidence that team-based, integrated care is fundamental to providing better patient outcomes." Their work, along with that of the other authors featured this quarter, is additive to the literature supporting the value of what we call team science.
As I read the impressive collection of manuscripts gathered by Guest Editor Kathy Malloch, I reflected on my own journey as a system chief nursing officer. Like many of you, I am experiencing the transformation of health care every day. I am part of numerous new partnerships and groups. I invest larger portions of my time with more inclusive strategic, decision making, and implementation teams. The research and experiences shared in the following pages of Nursing Administration Quarterly are a validation that time with these colleagues is well spent because it adds value for my organization and customers.
One example of the evolution of a multidiscipli-nary team is the history of our system's top clinical governing body. When the chief medical officer (my Dyad partner) and I implemented the national Clinical Leadership Council, we included members from the Nursing Executive Council, the Physician Executive Council, and the Pharmacy Executive Council. These 3 groups had historically performed their work in silos. We were delighted with the quality of decisions that resulted from bringing them together to make system-wide clinical decisions. However, in the 7 years since the inception of the Clinical Leadership Council, we've restructured more than once. The current council also includes a hospital chief executive officer, chief operating officer, chief financial officer, Performance Management Executive, and Materials Management Leader. We've learned that clinical and business decisions are so intertwined that we need these colleagues on the team. I predict, we'll continue to adjust and add members with additional expertise as we become more skilled at collaboration.
You undoubtedly have multiple examples of the emergence of teams in your own organizations. You have probably invited new guests to tables once populated only by nurses. You may have gained seats at tables where no nurse had been before. As we move into the next era of health care, these are both changes to celebrate. Our patients, communities, and other stakeholders are, and will be, beneficiaries of the emerging team science.
Thanks for Choosing to Lead.
-Kathleen D. Sanford, DBA, RN, CENP, FACHE
Editor-in-Chief
Nursing Administration Quarterly