Impact of TeamSTEPPS Training With Rural Hospital Staff

Abstract

Background: Teamwork and communication are critical components to patient safety and reducing clinical errors. TeamSTEPPS is a successful team-training program evaluated by many health care settings; however, there are limited data on its use in small, rural hospitals. Local Problem: A large health care system purchased a small, rural hospital with the goal to improve patient care by creating a team-based culture and a financially stable organization. Methods: This quality improvement project used a pre-/postdesign to evaluate the staff's knowledge, application, and attitudes toward team skills and behaviors. Intervention: The intervention was a customized TeamSTEPPS training program delivered to an interprofessional team at a small rural hospital. Results: The interprofessional staff demonstrated improved attitudes toward team behaviors and incorporated the tools into their practice. Conclusions: TeamSTEPPS is an effective program for training a variety of health care disciplines.