Impact of TeamSTEPPS® Training on Teamwork and Interprofessional Communication in Maternity Care: A...

Clear communication and cohesive teamwork are critical for ensuring safe, high-quality patient care, especially within the demanding environment of the labor ward. Pakistan faces some of the worst pregnancy outcomes globally. The TeamSTEPPS® is a validated curriculum for teaching interprofessional communication to healthcare professionals. Given the unique contexts of maternity care in Pakistan, there is a need to test the effectiveness of the TeamSTEPPS® program in interprofessional team involved in provision of care.

This quasi experimental study was conducted at Services Institute Medical Sciences/Services hospital Lahore, Pakistan. All the nursing students, pharmacist, obstetric, anesthesia and pediatric residents posted in labour room for two months were included. A core team of faculty taught the participants using TeamSTEPPS® framework. Participants knowledge, perceptions and attitudes were checked pre-training, one week and one month post-training using TeamSTEPPS® questionnaire of Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire, Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire and learning benchmarks. Team performance using Team Performance Observation Tool was also assessed after a month by simulation scenarios. Data were entered and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize demographic characteristics and Chi-square test was applied to evaluate the association between pre- and post-intervention scores related to attitude, perception, benchmark and team performance. P-value of less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant.

Total of 25 participants were imparted training. Significant improvements in team knowledge were seen in understanding the role of a team leader, shared mental model identifying the best method for conflict resolution at one week and one month post training (P<0.05). Changes in attitudes was observed in Team Structure, leadership and communication after one month (p<0.05). The intervention was effective in enhancing perceptions of team structure, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication (p<0.05). The team performance assessment showed that all teams scored from acceptable to excellent implying that training had positive impact on their ability to work as interprofessional team.

The study demonstrated improvements in knowledge, attitudes, perceptions, and observed behaviors of healthcare professionals, affirming the relevance and effectiveness of structured teamwork training in a maternity care setting. This advocates for integration of TeamSTEPPS® into medical curricula, institutional policy, and national health programs.