Volume : 12, Issue : 10, October – 2025
Title:
INTERPROFESSIONAL TEAMWORK IN THE EMERGENCY DEPARTMENT AND ITS IMPACT ON PATIENT SAFETY AND FLOW: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW
Authors :
Nasser Masoud Al Haider, Mahdi Ali Mesfer Al Yami, Ali Saleh M Alghamdi, Khaled Mohamed Shaya Alqhtani, Mohammad Ahmed Hassan Alyami, Sultan Mohammed Saeed Alshamrani, Naif Mesfer Mohammed Al Murayh, Ahmed Abdullah Mohammed Alabad, Khalid Talhe Faraj Alanazi, Ibrahim Mohammed Hussein Faqih
Abstract :
The Emergency Department (ED) is a high-stakes environment where ineffective teamwork can critically compromise patient safety and operational flow. While interprofessional teamwork (IPT) is widely advocated, a comprehensive synthesis of its measurable impact is needed. This systematic review aims to synthesize the evidence on the impact of IPT interventions on patient safety and patient flow metrics within the ED. A systematic review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Databases including PubMed/MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL, PsycINFO, and Cochrane CENTRAL were searched from inception through May 2024. Studies evaluating IPT interventions (e.g., TeamSTEPPS, interprofessional triage, huddles) and their effects on safety (e.g., errors, adverse events) and flow (e.g., length of stay, throughput) were included. The risk of bias was assessed using standardized tools, and findings were synthesized narratively due to heterogeneity. Twenty-eight studies were included. The evidence consistently demonstrates that IPT interventions significantly enhance patient safety by reducing medical errors and improving diagnostic accuracy through better communication. Concurrently, IPT improves patient flow, with studies showing reductions in length of stay (LOS) and door-to-provider times, particularly through models like interprofessional triage and huddles. Key facilitators included strong leadership, co-located workspaces, and formal training, while barriers were hierarchical structures and high workload. Interprofessional teamwork is a critical determinant of ED performance, serving as both a clinical safeguard and an operational catalyst. Organizational investment in interdisciplinary training, team-optimized environments, and a collaborative culture is essential to translate this evidence into practice and achieve safer, more efficient emergency care.
Keywords: Interprofessional Teamwork, Emergency Department, Patient Safety, Patient Flow, Systematic Review
Cite This Article:
Please cite this article in press Nasser Masoud Al Haider et al., Interprofessional Teamwork In The Emergency Department And Its Impact On Patient Safety And Flow: A Systematic Review, Indo Am. J. P. Sci, 2025; 12(10).
REFERENCES:
1. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2023). TeamSTEPPS. [Link]
2. Alsabri, M., Boudi, Z., Lauque, D., Dias, R. D., Whelan, J. S., Östlundh, L., … & Bellou, A. (2022). Impact of teamwork and communication training interventions on safety culture and patient safety in emergency departments: a systematic review. Journal of patient safety, 18(1), e351-e361.
3. Alsabri, M., et al. (2022). Impact of teamwork and communication training interventions on safety culture and patient safety in emergency departments: a systematic review. Journal of Patient Safety.
4. Benjamin, E., & Giuliano, K. K. (2024). Work systems analysis of emergency nurse patient flow management using the systems engineering initiative for patient safety model: Applying findings from a grounded theory study. JMIR Human Factors, 11(1), e60176.
5. Boiko, O., Edwards, M., Zschaler, S., Miles, S., & Rafferty, A. M. (2021). Interprofessional barriers in patient flow management: an interview study of the views of emergency department staff involved in patient admissions. Journal of interprofessional care, 35(3), 334-342.
6. Boiko, O., et al. (2021). Interprofessional barriers in patient flow management: an interview study of the views of emergency department staff involved in patient admissions. Journal of Interprofessional Care.
7. Coifman, A. H. M., Pedreira, L. C., Jesus, A. P. S. D., & Batista, R. E. A. (2021). Interprofessional communication in an emergency care unit: a case study. Revista da Escola de Enfermagem da USP, 55, e03781.
8. Gilardi, S., et al. (2014). Interprofessional team dynamics and information flow management in emergency departments. Journal of Advanced Nursing.
9. Gilardi, S., Guglielmetti, C., & Pravettoni, G. (2014). Interprofessional team dynamics and information flow management in emergency departments. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 70(6), 1299-1309.
10. Liu, J. (2020). Redesigning an emergency department for interprofessional teamwork… Doctoral dissertation.
11. Liu, J. (2020). Redesigning an emergency department for interprofessional teamwork: a longitudinal evaluation of the impact on patient flow and team behaviour (Doctoral dissertation, Karolinska Institutet (Sweden)).
12. Liu, J., et al. (2019). Interprofessional teamwork versus fast track streaming in an emergency department… PLoS One.
13. Liu, J., Masiello, I., Ponzer, S., & Farrokhnia, N. (2018). Can interprofessional teamwork reduce patient throughput times? A longitudinal single-centre study of three different triage processes at a Swedish emergency department. BMJ open, 8(4), e019744.
14. Liu, J., Masiello, I., Ponzer, S., & Farrokhnia, N. (2019). Interprofessional teamwork versus fast track streaming in an emergency department—An observational cohort study of two strategies for enhancing the throughput of orthopedic patients presenting limb injuries or back pain. PLoS One, 14(7), e0220011.
15. Liu, J., Ponzer, S., Farrokhnia, N., & Masiello, I. (2021). Evaluation of interprofessional teamwork modules implementation in an emergency department–A mixed-methods case study of implementation fidelity. BMC Health Services Research, 21(1), 853.
16. McBeth, C. L., Durbin-Johnson, B., & Siegel, E. O. (2017). Interprofessional Huddle: One Children’s Hospital’s Approach to Improving Patient Flow. Pediatric Nursing, 43(2).
17. Milton, J., Erichsen Andersson, A., Åberg, N. D., Gillespie, B. M., & Oxelmark, L. (2022). Healthcare professionals’ perceptions of interprofessional teamwork in the emergency department: a critical incident study. Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 30(1), 46.
18. Milton, J., et al. (2022). Healthcare professionals’ perceptions of interprofessional teamwork in the emergency department: a critical incident study. Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine.
19. Milton, J., M. Gillespie, B., Åberg, D., Erichsen Andersson, A., & Oxelmark, L. (2023). Interprofessional teamwork before and after organizational change in a tertiary emergency department: An observational study. Journal of Interprofessional Care, 37(2), 300-311.
20. Ming, T., et al. (2016). Can team triage improve patient flow in the emergency department? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal.
21. Ming, T., Lai, A., & Lau, P. M. (2016). Can team triage improve patient flow in the emergency department? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Advanced emergency nursing journal, 38(3), 233-250.
22. Muntlin Athlin, Å., et al. (2013). Effects of multidisciplinary teamwork on lead times and patient flow in the emergency department… Scandinavian Journal of Trauma, Resuscitation and Emergency Medicine.
23. Muntlin Athlin, Å., von Thiele Schwarz, U., & Farrohknia, N. (2013). Effects of multidisciplinary teamwork on lead times and patient flow in the emergency department: a longitudinal interventional cohort study. Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 21(1), 76.
24. Plusch, J., & Muir, K. J. (2023). “Doc in the Box”: The impact of an emergency department move on interprofessional collaboration, patient care, and clinician job satisfaction. International Emergency Nursing, 67, 101267.
25. Redley, B., Botti, M., Wood, B., & Bucknall, T. (2017). Interprofessional communication supporting clinical handover in emergency departments: An observation study. Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal, 20(3), 122-130.
26. Redley, B., et al. (2017). Interprofessional communication supporting clinical handover in emergency departments: An observation study. Australasian Emergency Nursing Journal.
27. Sauter, T. C., Hautz, W. E., Hostettler, S., Brodmann-Maeder, M., Martinolli, L., Lehmann, B., … & Haider, D. G. (2016). Interprofessional and interdisciplinary simulation-based training leads to safe sedation procedures in the emergency department. Scandinavian journal of trauma, resuscitation and emergency medicine, 24(1), 97.
28. Wong, A. H. W., Combellick, J., Wispelwey, B. A., Squires, A., & Gang, M. (2017). The patient care paradox: an interprofessional qualitative study of agitated patient care in the emergency department. Academic Emergency Medicine, 24(2), 226-235.
29. Wong, A. H. W., et al. (2017). The patient care paradox: an interprofessional qualitative study of agitated patient care in the emergency department. Academic Emergency Medicine.