Reflection on the Fly: Development of the Team Reflection Behavioral Observation (TuRBO) System for Acute Care Teams

Acute care teams work in dynamic and complex environments and must adapt to changing circumstances. A team process that helps teams process information and adapt is in-action team reflection (TR), defined as concurrent collective reflection on group objectives, strategies, or processes during an ongoing care event. However, the health care field lacks a means for systematically observing and ultimately training in-action TR in acute care teams. To bridge this gap, the authors developed a theoretically and empirically informed framework, Team Reflection Behavioral Observation (TuRBO), for measuring in-action TR.

In 2018 at ETH, Zurich, Switzerland, the authors developed a theoretical framework based on the literature and theory. They then conducted exploratory reviews of preexisting videos of acute care teams training simulated emergencies. The authors adapted observation codes using an iterative approach. Using the developed coding framework, they coded 23 video recordings of acute care teams and provided validity evidence from the 3 sources: content, internal structure (interrater reliability), and relations to other variables.

The final TuRBO framework consists of 3 general dimensions-seeking information, evaluating information, and planning-that are further specified in 7 subcodes. Interrater agreement of the coding was substantial (κ = 0.80). As hypothesized, the data showed a positive relationship between in-action TR and team performance. Also, physicians spent significantly more time on in-action TR than nurses.

The TuRBO framework for assessing in-action TR in acute care teams provides positive validity evidence of the data. TuRBO integrates different team communication and calibration processes under the overarching concept of in-action TR and provides descriptive behavioral markers. TuRBO taps into powerful cultural and normative components of patient safety. This tool can augment team training that allows all team members to serve as an important resource for flexible, resilient, and safer patient care.