Relational Quality Between the RN and Nursing Assistant: Essential for Teamwork and Communication.

OBJECTIVE Nurse (RN) and nursing assistant (NA) relational quality was examined along with associations between relational quality and evaluations of teamwork and communication. BACKGROUND RN and NA teams constitute the primary nursing care delivery method, and the quality of their relationship affects system capacity for improving patient outcomes; adverse events are linked to communication and teamwork breakdowns. METHODS RN (N = 889) and NA (263) relational quality was examined using a cross-sectional secondary analysis from system assessment with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. RESULTS RN and NA perceived relational quality indicated significant differences in teamwork and safety grade ratings, with both groups reporting perceived teamwork as high when patient safety grade was low. CONCLUSIONS This study supports the benefits of improving the RN-NA teamwork-communication relationship. An enhanced RN-NA relational quality can be used by nurse leaders to optimize patient care delivery outcomes.