Float pools and resource teams: a review of the literature.

The use of nursing float pools and resource teams is a strategy used to cope with variable or inadequate staffing. Though identified as a solution to staffing shortages, there is limited research to support their use. Little is known about how resource teams and float pools work, are structured, or their impact. Both allow for staffing flexibility; however, only resource teams appear to be designed with nurse competency and patient safety in mind.