Mafalda Inácio

Dr. Mafalda Inácio

orcid

Research Focus & Metrics

Academic Career Length

2Years (2025-Present)

(Calculated once Scilit publication data is synced: current year − year of first publication + 1)

Representative Publications

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24 February 2026 in Nursing Reports
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
LVLeonor Pereira Velez
Leonor Pereira Velez
PCPatrícia Costa
Patrícia Costa
NSNUNO NOVAIS MARTINS SANTOS
NUNO NOVAIS MARTINS SANTOS
MIMafalda Inácio
Mafalda Inácio
Ana Rita FigueiredoAna Rita Figueiredo
Ana Rita Figueiredo
PLPedro Lucas
Pedro Lucas
Background: Teamwork promotes the quality and safety of care. The TeamSTEPPS® program enhances communication and teamwork among healthcare professionals and students, as well as the associated benefits. Currently, there are no studies that comprehensively explore the benefits achieved through the implementation of TeamSTEPPS® across different contexts (educational and clinical practice). Objective: This scoping review aimed to map the existing evidence on the benefits of implementing TeamSTEPPS® in educational and professional settings, emphasizing its contribution to sustainable teamwork, patient safety, and organizational learning. Methods: A scoping review was conducted following the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and reported according to the PRISMA-ScR guidelines. Searches were performed in CINAHL Ultimate, Medline Ultimate, Scopus, the Portuguese Open Access Scientific Repository, Web of Science and Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, with no time restrictions. Studies were selected based on the PCC framework, focusing on healthcare students and professionals (Population), TeamSTEPPS® implementation (Concept), and academic or clinical settings (Context). A descriptive and thematic analysis was used, enabling the identification of emerging categories and recurring patterns among the included studies. Results: Twenty-eight articles published between 2009 and 2025, predominantly from the United States of America and conducted in hospital settings, were found. The included studies comprised quantitative (n = 11), qualitative (n = 4) and quasi-experimental study (n = 13) designs. From the analysis, four thematic categories emerged: academic education, interprofessional education and simulation; professional transition and professional development; clinical implementation of the TeamSTEPPS® program in real-world settings; and patient safety culture as a central focus. Conclusions: The available evidence suggests that the TeamSTEPPS® program may strengthen teamwork and promote safe and high-quality care in both educational and clinical settings. While short-term training leads to immediate improvements in team dynamics, continuous training demonstrates greater long-term effectiveness. The consolidation of the TeamSTEPPS® methodology relies on organizational commitment, leadership engagement, and the integration of interprofessional training from the academic level onward.

9 October 2025 in Nursing Reports
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
PLPedro Lucas
Pedro Lucas
AGAna Gaspar
Ana Gaspar
Paulo Jorge Marcos CruchinhoPaulo Jorge Marcos Cruchinho
Paulo Jorge Marcos Cruchinho
MIMafalda Inácio
Mafalda Inácio
Ana Rita FigueiredoAna Rita Figueiredo
Ana Rita Figueiredo
PCPatrícia Costa
Patrícia Costa
Background: Authentic leadership is characterized by the authenticity and self-awareness of the leader, who acts with transparency and promotes positive outcomes in clinical practice and team management. In Portugal, there isn’t a tool available to assess nurses’ perceptions of authentic leadership in nursing. This study aimed to translate and cross-culturally adapt the Authentic Nurse Leadership Questionnaire (ANLQ) for the Portuguese context and to evaluate its psychometric properties. This instrument assesses nurses’ perceptions of the authentic leadership exercised by their leader. Methods: A methodological, descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach was conducted. The translation and cross-cultural adaptation process followed the recommendations of internationally recognized guidelines. The Authentic Nurse Leadership Scale—Portuguese version (ANLS-PT) was administered to a sample of 406 nurses from various functional units in three primary healthcare centers. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis techniques were used. Reliability was established through a test–retest administration to 22 nurses at two different times, with a two-week interval. The internal consistency of the scale was assessed using Cronbach’s Alpha. Results: An instrument with 29 items and 3 dimensions was obtained, explaining 68.3% of the total variance. The identified dimensions were Caring and Decision-Making, Self-Awareness, and Relational Integrity and Ethics. The overall instrument showed an internal consistency of 0.97. Conclusions: The ANLS-PT proved to be a valid, reliable, and robust tool for assessing authentic leadership in the Portuguese cultural context and can be used in various nursing practice contexts.

7 November 2025 in Nursing Reports
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MIMafalda Inácio
Mafalda Inácio
MCMaria João Carvalho
Maria João Carvalho
APAna Paulino
Ana Paulino
PCPatrícia Costa
Patrícia Costa
Ana Rita FigueiredoAna Rita Figueiredo
Ana Rita Figueiredo
PLPedro Lucas
Pedro Lucas
Background: The nursing practice environment is a critical determinant of healthcare quality, patient safety, and nurse well-being. Military healthcare settings present unique challenges, including rigid hierarchical structures, deployment rotations, and resource constraints, which may significantly affect the nursing practice. This scoping review mapped the available scientific evidence on the nursing practice environment in military healthcare institutions and identified its influencing factors. Methods: Following JBI methodology, a scoping review was conducted according to the PCC framework: nurses (Population), the nursing practice environment (Concept), and military healthcare settings (Context). Papers in English, Portuguese, or Spanish were included without date restrictions. Searches were performed in 4 databases (September 2025) and data selections were conducted independently by two reviewers. Results: Eleven studies (2010–2025), mainly from the United States, met the inclusion criteria. Thematic analysis revealed three main components influencing the nursing practice environment: structural (leadership, professional development, staffing), relational (collaboration, conflict management), and outcome-related (well-being, retention, patient safety). Favourable environments were associated with higher satisfaction, retention, and reduced burnout. Conversely, unfavorable environments, often influenced by rank hierarchy, deployment rotations, and organizational rigidity, were linked to turnover intention, moral distress, and compromised patient outcomes. Conclusions: Evidence from the included studies indicates that adaptive leadership, interprofessional collaboration, professional development and staffing adequacy are recurrent factors associated with nurses’ satisfaction, retention, and perceived quality of care. Hierarchy structures, deployments, and mobility also appear to influence the specific characteristics of military nursing practice environments.

15 January 2026 in Nursing Reports
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
LVLeonor Pereira Velez
Leonor Pereira Velez
PCPatrícia Costa
Patrícia Costa
Ana Rita FigueiredoAna Rita Figueiredo
Ana Rita Figueiredo
MIMafalda Inácio
Mafalda Inácio
Paulo Jorge Marcos CruchinhoPaulo Jorge Marcos Cruchinho
Paulo Jorge Marcos Cruchinho
PLPedro Lucas
Pedro Lucas
Background: Teamwork and effective communication are widely recognized as essential pillars for the safety and quality of healthcare. However, in Portugal, no validated instrument had previously been available to assess healthcare professionals’ attitudes toward teamwork. This study aimed to translate, culturally adapt, and validate the TeamSTEPPS® Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire (T-TAQ) for the Portuguese context, resulting in the Portuguese version of the instrument. Methods: A methodological study with a quantitative approach was developed. The translation and cultural adaptation process followed internationally recognized guidelines. The sample consisted of 162 healthcare professionals (136 nurses and 26 physicians) from a hospital in Lisbon. Exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis techniques were used to assess construct validity. The internal consistency of the scale was analyzed using Cronbach’s alpha coefficient. Results: The Portuguese version comprises 30 items distributed across five dimensions: Effective Leadership Support, Team Functional Performance, Teamwork Coordination, Willingness to Engage in Teamwork, and Team Functioning Supervision. The scale demonstrated a total explained variance of 53.9% and an overall internal consistency coefficient (α) of 0.86, indicating good reliability. Confirmatory factor analysis supported the five-factor structure of the scale (χ2/df = 1.461; CFI = 0.900; GFI = 0.821; RMSEA = 0.054; MECVI = 4.731). Conclusions: The T-TAQ-PT proved to be a valid, reliable, and robust instrument for assessing healthcare professionals’ individual attitudes toward teamwork, contributing to the development of research and clinical practice in the Portuguese context.


1 April 2026 in Nursing Reports
Verified
Journal Article
Open access
PDF file
MIMafalda Inácio
Mafalda Inácio
MCMaria João Carvalho
Maria João Carvalho
APAna Paulino
Ana Paulino
PCPatrícia Costa
Patrícia Costa
Ana Rita FigueiredoAna Rita Figueiredo
Ana Rita Figueiredo
PLPedro Lucas
Pedro Lucas
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