Evaluation of an educational program in health care teams

In July 1975, the Division of Ambulatory and Community Medicine at the University of California, San Francisco, initiated an interdisciplinary team education program as part of a required core medical clerkship in primary care. Significant emphasis was placed on evaluation of student and patient service outcomes. Overall, students rated the teaching in the program as moderately effective. The major measured gain for students was in their formal knowledge of the principles of teamwork, with secondary gains in patient problem-solving skills. The gains in knowledge were greatest for medicine and pharmacy students. During the team education program, the average number of patients seen by student providers was greater than it had been during previous clerkships. Similarly, the comprehensiveness of care provided was higher during the team education program. Although no significant differences were found between student teams and individual providers, those teams with consistent membership from all three participating disciplines (medicine, pharmacy, and nursing) delivered more comprehensive care.