TeamSTEPPS: Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety

Abstract

Hospital errors are intractable problems that pose a threat to the safety of healthcare consumers. Despite efforts to improve the care of hospitalized patients, adverse events continue to increase. The Institute of Medicine estimated 98,000 deaths occur annually from preventable medical errors alone. More than half of all medical errors can be traced to poor communication, problems with teamwork, and ineffective collaboration between healthcare providers. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) in collaboration with the Department of Defense (DOD) developed an EVIDENCE-based approach to patient care delivery. Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) delivers innovative techniques that improve communication and patient safety outcomes. TeamSTEPPS utilises EVIDENCE-based teamwork that team members can apply to their healthcare settings.
Four critical areas are addressed with TeamSTEPPS training: leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication. The research studies employed five quasi-experimental and one descriptive study design. The EVIDENCE from the research clearly supports the implementation of TeamSTEPPS to various healthcare settings.
The authors of these studies acknowledged the importance of effective teams in daily patient care delivery. Team members reported satisfaction implementing the strategies offered through TeamSTEPPS.

KEYWORDS: communication, healthcare, patient safety, team strategies, TeamSTEPPS,teamwork