PURPOSE
The purpose of this study was to identify hospital nurses' recognition of the team system and the effectiveness of the team system as an organizational structure.
METHODS
A self-report questionnaire was used to collect data from 247 general hospital nurses during 4 months in 2013. Analysis was done using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and factor analysis with SPSS 18.0. program.
RESULTS
There was no significant difference in nurses' recognition of team structure (t=2.06, p=.153) or effect of team structure (t=0.36, p=.549) according to use of team system. In hospitals with a team system, there were positive correlations between recognition of the effect of the team system and age (r=.25, p=.033), and total clinical career (r=.26, p=.012). In hospitals not using a team system, nurses' recognition of team structure as an organizational system (r=.31, p<.001), nurses' recognition of team structure, total (r=.30 p<.001) correlated significantly with the effects of team system.
CONCLUSION
Results of this study provide a retrospection view of the team system in nursing organizational systems. The nursing team system's ultimate goal needs to be confirmed for complementary nursing care. Also, more studies on nurses' perceptions of, and effectiveness of the team system are necessary.