Assessing interprofessional teamwork: pilot test of a new assessment module for practicing physicians

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Quality and Safety
• Medical Education and Training
• Health Professions Education

Background:

• High-quality teamwork is crucial in healthcare, directly impacting patient safety and care quality.
• The Teamwork Effectiveness Assessment Module (TEAM) is a novel web-based tool designed for practicing hospital physicians.
• TEAM integrates self-assessment, multisource feedback, and peer review to foster teamwork improvement.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot test the TEAM module with hospitalist physicians.
• To assess the feasibility and utility of the TEAM module in diverse hospital settings.
• To evaluate physician ability to use the module, solicit feedback, and engage peers for data review.

Main Methods:

• A pilot study involving hospitalist physicians using the TEAM module.
• Assessment of module usability across different hospital types and sizes.
• Evaluation of interprofessional rater response rates and physician peer identification.
• Exploration of physicians' overall experience with the TEAM module process.

Main Results:

• 20 out of 25 volunteer physicians successfully completed all TEAM module steps.
• Physicians identified interprofessional teammates and solicited feedback effectively.
• Module users reported the feedback received was helpful, actionable, and previously unavailable.

Conclusions:

• The TEAM module, integrating self-assessment, multisource feedback, and guided interpretation, shows promise.
• It can assist practicing hospital physicians in understanding and enhancing their teamwork skills.
• The findings support the utility of TEAM for improving interprofessional collaboration in hospitals.