Building collaborative teams in neonatal intensive care

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Medical Education
• Teamwork and Communication

Background:

• Neonatal intensive care units (NICUs) require effective communication and collaboration due to their complex, multidisciplinary nature and frequent staff hand-offs.
• Essential teamwork skills are often not formally taught, assessed, or regularly discussed among NICU personnel.

Purpose of the Study:

• To implement and evaluate a multidisciplinary, small-group, interactive workshop based on TeamSTEPPS to enhance teamwork skills and introduce new team-based practices in a NICU setting.
• To assess the impact of formal teamwork training on staff communication, collaboration, situation awareness, and job satisfaction.

Main Methods:

• A TeamSTEPPS-based workshop was delivered to 129 (95%) of 136 eligible NICU staff.
• Pre-training and post-training surveys were administered to 114 (84%) and 104 (81%) of staff, respectively, two years after the intervention.
• Surveys assessed overall teamwork scores and specific team-based categories, including communication, situation awareness, mutual support, and job satisfaction.

Main Results:

• The overall teamwork score significantly improved from 7.37 to 8.08 (p<0.0001).
• Staff reported significant improvements in communication (p=0.037), situation awareness (p<0.0001), and mutual support (p<0.0001).
• Post-training, staff reported higher job fulfillment (p<0.0001), better utilization of abilities (p=0.003), and increased feelings of respect (p=0.0037).

Conclusions:

• Formal teamwork training, such as the TeamSTEPPS program, can significantly enhance communication, collaboration, and overall teamwork in neonatal intensive care units.
• The training positively impacted staff satisfaction, job fulfillment, and perceived respect, contributing to a more supportive work environment.
• The study provides practical tools and evidence supporting the development of similar team training programs in other neonatal settings.