Abstract
Background
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.
Aim
This study aims to synthesises the literature to investigate the impact of huddles on job satisfaction, teamwork, and work engagement in multidisciplinary healthcare teams.
Methods
Five academic databases were searched to conduct a systematic review of peer-reviewed literature published from January 2000 to 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 and preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analysis guidelines. We identified 445 articles of which 12 met the eligibility criteria and are included in this review.
Results
All 12 included 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.