What is the clinical evidence from this study?

Study design: Other. Population: Healthcare team members and patients involved in heart failure care in Iran (n=58). Intervention: Teamwork strategies for caring for heart failure patients. Primary outcome: Effectiveness of teamwork strategies in building effective healthcare teams for heart failure patient care.

What question did this study set out to answer?

This study aims to explore experiences of health care team members and identify effective strategies for heart failure patient care.

February 27, 2026Open Access

How to Build Effective Health Care Teams in Caring for Heart Failure Patients: A Qualitative Study

Key Result

Teamwork strategies at individual, organizational, and sociocultural levels improve teamwork effectiveness in heart failure care but require development in Iran.

Key Points

This study aims to explore experiences of health care team members and identify effective strategies for heart failure patient care.
Conducted unstructured in-depth interviews with 58 health care team members.
Used purposive and theoretical sampling for participant selection.
Transcribed and analyzed interview data using an inductive conventional method.
Identified fourteen subcategories and six categories related to effective teamwork.
Key themes included equal professional rights, knowledge embodiment, and team integrity.
Concluded that teamwork strategies varied across levels, requiring tailored approaches for effective heart failure care.

Structured PICO

Population

58 team members involved in the care of heart failure patients (including nurses, doctors, physiotherapists, nutritionists, patients, and others), mean age 41.3 years, 42 women and 16 men, in Iran.

Outcome

Strategies for building effective teams for the care of heart failure patients

Qualitative analysis of healthcare providers in Iran identified key strategies at individual, organizational, and sociocultural levels to improve teamwork in heart failure care.

Limitations

Qualitative study without quantitative clinical outcome measures
No control or comparator group
Results based on self-reported experiences and perceptions
Limited generalizability beyond Iranian healthcare settings

Abstract

Background: The Complexity of care for heart failure patients has increased the need for professionals to collaborate in the form of teams. Finding the right strategies to eliminate these problems will increase the effectiveness of care. This study was done to explore team members’ experiences and provide strategies for building effective teams for the care of heart failure patients. Methods: In this content analysis study, data were collected through unstructured in‐depth interviews with 58 team members involved in the care of heart failure patients. The selection of participants began with purposive sampling and was extended using theoretical sampling. The interviews were transcribed verbatim and analyzed using an inductive conventional method. Results: Fourteen subcategories and six categories were formed: equal professional rights in the team, embodying knowledge and experience, team integrity, self-awareness of teamwork, teamwork continuity, and skillfulness of the team. The final theme was "Striving for team evolution and consensus." Conclusion: The results showed that the teamwork strategies are being used in Iranian health care centers, but different strategies should be used to provide more effective care for heart failure (HF) patients. These strategies are found at individual, organizational, and sociocultural levels. Training and application of these strategies by health care providers will facilitate the achievement of teamwork goals in the care of HF patients.

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