TeamSTEPPS implementation in community hospitals: adherence to recommended training approaches

Area of Science:

• Healthcare quality improvement
• Patient safety initiatives
• Teamwork and communication in healthcare

Background:

• Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) is a widely promoted evidence-based program.
• TeamSTEPPS aims to foster a culture of patient-safety-focused teamwork through training and actionable tools.
• The train-the-trainer model involves selected personnel attending Master Trainer Training (MTT) and then disseminating training within their organizations.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine the approaches used by community hospitals for TeamSTEPPS staff training.
• To compare community hospital training practices against established best practices identified in team training literature.
• To identify areas for enhancement in TeamSTEPPS implementation within community hospital settings.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study involving interviews with 57 staff and administrators.
• Data collected from 22 community hospitals that participated in TeamSTEPPS MTT.
• Interviews structured around 11 key questions from an in-depth team training literature review.

Main Results:

• Training implementation in community hospitals significantly deviates from research-based principles for effective team training.
• Discrepancies were noted when comparing community hospital practices to models primarily developed in academic medical centers.
• Current practices may not fully align with established research on optimal team training effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Community hospitals can enhance TeamSTEPPS training by improving trainer selection based on relevant skills.
• Emphasizing active learning methodologies within the training curriculum is crucial for effectiveness.
• Sustaining learned teamwork principles through on-the-job application, practice, and feedback is essential for long-term impact.
• These findings and recommendations are applicable to various training approaches in smaller healthcare organizations.