EFFECTIVE TEAMWORK: HOW DOES IT CONTRIBUTE TO SAVE LONG-TERM CARE?
Tautvydas Vigelas
St. Ignatius Loyola College, Kaunas, Lithuania
Keywords: teamwork; long-term care; interprofessional collaboration; patient safety; service quality; organisational culture; leadership; soft skills.
Abstract:
The long-term care sector is facing growing demand for services, an increasing range of complex health problems among patients, and high safety and quality requirements. In this context, teamwork is essential to ensuring coordinated, continuous, and patient-oriented care. This article analyses the scientific literature to reveal how teamwork, including its structural and interpersonal components, contributes to patient safety and service quality in long-term care. A narrative analysis of scientific articles published between 2017 and 2025 was conducted, focusing on international studies of interprofessional collaboration, team dynamics, soft skills, and organisational culture. The literature review shows that effective communication, clear role distribution, leadership, psychological safety, and interpersonal trust are associated with a lower risk of adverse events, better continuity of care, and greater satisfaction among service recipients. Teamwork in long-term care should be seen as a strategic factor in ensuring quality and safety.
DOI: