Table 1.

Challenges for fluid teams in the NICU.

Challenge	Description	Opportunities
1. Including patient families in NICU teams	Family-centered care promotes the inclusion of patient families in daily rounding (Craig et al., 2015). Various benefits to including patient family members have been seen, but it can be challenging in itself and further generates even more fluidity in teams.	NICU teams can include parents through designating tasks and activities to parents, such as reading (Jain et al., 2021). NICU teams can, and should, actively involve parents in rounds and decision making (Sigurdson et al., 2020).
2. Managing hierarchy within NICU teams	A medical hierarchy is particularly prominent in the NICU (Ediger et al., 2022). This may negatively affect psychological safety, or a shared sense that it is safe to speak up, as well as increase moral distress among nurses (Becker and Grunwald, 2000; Mills and Cortezzo, 2020).	Leaders in the NICU can combat the negative consequences of a hierarchy through utilizing an inclusive leadership style (Nembhard and Edmondson, 2006). It is imperative that those in a leadership position help cultivate psychological safety within the team (Masten et al., 2019).
3. Facilitating effective patient handoffs across teams	The vast number of patient handoffs in the NICU can put infants at risk, especially if done improperly.	Implementing formalized structure or protocol for handoffs could help lower risk of further injury or illness. Furthermore, required training could help lower mistakes and errors.