Development of a checklist for documenting team and collaborative behaviors during multidisciplinary bedside rounds

Abstract

Objective: The objective of this study was to develop a reliable and valid checklist for documenting team and collaborative behaviors occurring during multidisciplinary bedside rounds.

Background: Teamwork and collaboration are important for providing high-quality patient care, yet there are no objective means of evaluating the occurrence of team and collaborative behaviors during bedside rounds.

Methods: A checklist was developed and tested on 3 general medical units. Items on the checklist were derived from the literature and our medical center's patient-family-centered values.

Results: The final version of the checklist was determined to be reliable, valid, and easy to use in the clinical setting.

Conclusion: Clinicians, administrators, and investigators are encouraged to use and/or modify this checklist for use in their setting. Further research identifying instruments to objectively measure teamwork and collaboration is needed.