Influence of team composition and knowledge sharing on the ability to innovate in patient-centered healthcare teams for rare diseases

Abstract This paper presents a study that investigated the relationship between the composition of interdisciplinary healthcare teams and the intra-team knowledge sharing processes, as well as their joint influence on the generation of new, individualized solutions. Innovative behavior is essential, especially for healthcare professionals treating patients with rare diseases when they are faced with an uncertain, unpredictable care environment and the challenge of creating individualized patient treatment options. Four theoretically derived hypotheses were tested by survey data collected from 81 patient-centered healthcare teams. Additionally, in a pre-phase, 26 semi-structured interviews were conducted to obtain a deeper understanding of potential barriers to intra-team communication that cause diminished innovative behavior. The results demonstrated that a high level of fluctuation within interdisciplinary teams diminishes knowledge sharing activities and innovative behavior. Furthermore, intrateam communication is a significant predictor of team members' innovative behavior. Due to a lack of standardized processes and procedures in uncertain environments, the generation of new knowledge is vital to the generation and implementation of innovative care solutions. It is crucial that all healthcare professionals involved, such as general practitioners, physicians, nurses, and therapists, for example, develop a common understanding of the necessity for innovative processes, especially in the context of rare diseases, to maximize efficiency in the provision of health services.