Introduction: In healthcare teams, interpersonal relationships are an integral part of daily communication and collaboration among employees. These relationships can contribute to a positive work atmosphere; however, under certain circumstances, they may also lead to disagreements and emotional tension. Therefore, it is important for members of the healthcare team to be aware of the importance of constructive relationships and to strive to maintain and strengthen them. Conflicts within healthcare teams are relatively common and often unavoidable, as they arise from various causes and represent one of the key challenges in interprofessional collaboration. Methods: A review of domestic and international scientific literature was conducted. The literature was searched using the bibliographic databases CINAHL, ERIC, MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, and Nursing Research. The search was performed using the following keywords: interpersonal relationships, conflict, causes of conflict, conflict management, conflict resolution, triggers, and healthcare personnel, published between 2015 and 2024. Results: A total of nine scientific articles were included in this analysis. The systematic literature review revealed that the most common causes of conflict are related to organizational factors, such as poor work organization and inadequate leadership within healthcare teams. These are followed by interpersonal relationships and individual characteristics of team members. These factors often overlap and interact, jointly contributing to the emergence of conflicts, and can therefore be regarded as conflict triggers. We further found that the most commonly used method of resolving conflicts in interpersonal relationships in healthcare teams is avoidance, followed by negotiation. The latter has been confirmed in most studies as the most successful method of resolving conflicts, in addition to cooperation. Discussion and conclusion: It is crucial that conflicts are recognized in a timely manner, addressed openly and resolved constructively through clear communication, mutual respect and organizational support. Only successfully managed conflicts strengthen interpersonal relationships, employee job satisfaction and, consequently, ensure high-quality healthcare for patients.
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