Attitude and barriers of teamwork in intensive care unit from the perspective of nurses in COVID-19 pandemic

Background and Aim: Front-line medical teams are experiencing unprecedented stressors as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. In the face of these pressures, teamwork has become both more important and more challenging. During the crisis, people trying to work together who may not have done so under 'normal' conditions. Therefore, this study will be conducted to investigate the attitudes and barriers to teamwork from the perspective of intensive care unit nurses in the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods: In this descriptive-analytical study from October 2020 to January 2021, 97 nurses working in intensive care units were selected according to the inclusion criteria. The data collection tool was a standard questionnaire to assess the attitude towards teamwork and assessment of barriers to teamwork, which was completed by the participants after validity and reliability. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and independent t-test in SPSS software version 25. Results: The mean score of nurses' attitude to teamwork was 127.82 ± 10.4. The amount of barriers in the workplace for optimal teamwork was reported by 54 (55.67%) high, 32 (32.3%) low and 11 (11.34%) unimpeded. Most barriers to teamwork were reported with nursing managers, organization managers, consulting physicians and therapists and the least barriers were reported with radiology staff and nurses. Conclusion: The performance of nursing managers and the weakness of intra-group relationships are the most important barriers to teamwork in the pandemic situation. In order to provide quality teamwork in the pandemic situation, job descriptions and plans should be provided by the managers of the organization and nurses should receive adequate training in this field. © 2021 Baqiyatallah University of Medical Sciences. All rights reserved.