Team training in obstetrics: A multi-level evaluation.

Area of Science:

• Obstetrics and Gynecology
• Medical Education
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Obstetric complications are often preventable.
• Effective teamwork and situational awareness (SA) are crucial for managing obstetric emergencies.
• Improving decision-making and patient outcomes in obstetrics is a key healthcare goal.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a team training intervention for obstetric clinicians.
• To assess improvements in teamwork, SA, decision-making, and cognitive bias.
• To determine the impact on patient outcomes in obstetric care.

Main Methods:

• An adapted TeamSTEPPS program was delivered to obstetric clinicians.
• Training focused on communication, mutual support, situation monitoring, leadership, SA, and cognitive bias.
• A multilevel evaluation used surveys, situational judgment tests (SJTs), observations, and chart reviews.

Main Results:

• Clinicians found the training useful and improved communication knowledge.
• While SJT decision accuracy showed mixed results, behavioral observations indicated improved on-the-job decision accuracy.
• A marginally significant reduction in newborns' hospital length of stay was observed.

Conclusions:

• The team training intervention demonstrated partial effectiveness in obstetric settings.
• Further research is required to identify optimal training conditions and sustainability strategies.
• Generalizability to other obstetric units and departments needs confirmation.