The impact of Huddles on a multidisciplinary healthcare teams’ work
engagement, teamwork, and job satisfaction: a systematic review
Abstract
Job satisfaction and retention of healthcare staff remains an ongoing
issue in many health systems. Huddles have been endorsed as a mechanism
to improve patient safety by improving teamwork, collaboration, and
communication in teams. This study synthesizes the literature to
investigate the impact of huddles on job satisfaction, teamwork, and
work engagement in multidisciplinary healthcare teams. Five academic
databases were searched to conduct a systematic review of peer-reviewed
literature published from January 2000 – January 2020. Articles were
included if they (1) featured a daily huddle, were conducted in a
healthcare setting, and involved a multidisciplinary team and (2)
measured variables including job satisfaction, work engagement, or
teamwork. Results were reported in accordance with the Systematic
Synthesis Without Meta-analysis (SWiM) and Preferred Reporting Items for
Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. We identified
445 articles of which 12 met the eligibility criteria and are included
in this review. All 12 studies found a predominantly positive impact on
teamwork and job satisfaction. None of the studies discussed or reported
evidence of the impact of huddles on work engagement. This review
highlights the value of a daily multidisciplinary healthcare team huddle
in improving job satisfaction and teamwork for the healthcare staff
involved. However, there is a dearth of high-quality, peer-reviewed
evidence regarding the direct impact of huddles on job satisfaction,
teamwork and in particular on work engagement. Further research –
particularly controlled studies on adoption, implementation, and
outcomes for healthcare team culture – is needed to further assess this
intervention.