CONCLUSION:
The findings of this systematic review highlight the potential value of
a daily multidisciplinary healthcare team huddle in terms of improved
job satisfaction and teamwork for the healthcare staff involved. It
contributes an up-to-date synthesis of literature to the current body of
work on healthcare staff retention, communication in healthcare teams,
and the importance of collegiality for both staff and patient outcomes.
Our review suggests that through strengthening workplace trust
relationships, increasing the sense of community and collaboration on
healthcare teams, and applying collective leadership models to reduce
hierarchical frameworks that currently exist in healthcare settings, it
may be possible to decrease turnover intention and improve the overall
engagement of staff. With the aforementioned high turnover rates of
medical staff in the UK and Ireland, it is important for the healthcare
services to implement changes sooner rather than later.
Although much has been written about the value of huddles in healthcare
settings, there is an apparent lack of high-quality, peer-reviewed
evidence regarding the direct impact of huddles on job satisfaction,
teamwork and particularly on work engagement. Further research –
particularly controlled studies on adoption, implementation, and
outcomes for healthcare team culture – is needed for this important
intervention that can strengthen health systems from community level to
acute care.