| Primary Author: | Linda Garland, MS, RN, ANP-BC |
| Organization: | The Menninger Clinic |
Abstract
Background
In 1999, The Institute of Medicine (IOM) called national attention to the incidence of medical error in the US and set forth a national patient safety agenda. Faced with the alarming statistics from the IOM as well as requirements from the Joint Commission, organizations are more invested than ever in creating cultures of safety. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, in partnership with the Department of Defense, developed a training program known as TeamSTEPPS to assist healthcare organizations in this endeavor. TeamSTEPPS is based on the idea that when highly effective teams maximize the use of information, people, and other resources, they create cultures of safety that result in optimal clinical outcomes for patients.
Purpose
A quality improvement initiative was designed to improve team attributes related to a culture of safety by training faculty, staff, and administrators throughout the hospital regarding the principles and practices of TeamSTEPPS.
Materials & Methods
A convenience sample of clinical and nonclinical employees was surveyed prior to and 12 months following hospital-wide TeamSTEPPS training. The Team Assessment Questionnaire (TAQ), a computer-administered questionnaire consisting of 55 Likert scale items was used to measure 7 categories: team foundation, team functioning, team performance, team skills, team leadership, team climate and atmosphere, and team identity. The analysis employed 2 tailed t-tests comparing mean pre- and post-scores on individual items and categories, with significance level set at p < .01.
Results
Pre-training (N = 108); Post-training (N = 143). In general, findings revealed a significant shift in team-related perceptions in the key areas of team foundation, team functioning, team skills, and team climate and atmosphere.
Conclusion
These findings support hospital-wide TeamSTEPPS training as a means to improving perception of select team attributes that serve as important factors for maintaining a culture of safety. Continued quality improvement initiatives need to focus on targeted areas for improvement.
© Improvement Science Research Network, 2011