A TeamSTEPPS® implementation plan for recently assigned interns and nurses

ABSTRACT

Interns and newly assigned nurses are expected to assimilate rapidly and begin functioning as members of interprofessional teams. This mixed-method pilot research assessed the impact of a Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS®) implementation plan in an urban academic teaching hospital that included a cohort of newly assigned pediatric interns and nurses (N = 23). We collected pre- and post-intervention course knowledge and team performance data from two teams in two separate simulation cases. We also surveyed the learners using an open-ended survey to ask about the value of their interprofessional learning experience. TeamSTEPPS® course knowledge improved from pre- to post-intervention (p < 0.001). Team performance scores were tallied and descriptively compared between pre- and post-intervention. Teams performed higher in both post-intervention simulation cases than in the pre-assessments. Post-intervention groups were assessed scores of 4 and 5 in more areas of the team performance checklist. Knowledge scores were compared between pre- and post- intervention by a Wilcoxon rank-sum test. Median scores improved from 17 to 20 following the intervention. Six themes emerged from the coding process that expressed a learned appreciation for contributing to a culture where the expectation is that team members speak up to support patient safety and other team members. As shown by this pilot research, TeamSTEPPS® training approaches that follow the 4-phase brain-based lesson plan for simulation and include interprofessional membership can be promising for integrating newly assigned members into existing clinical teams.

KEYWORDS:

• 4-phase brain-based lesson plan for simulation
• interprofessional learning
• simulation
• TeamSTEPPS®
• TeamSTEPPS® training approaches

Contributor statements

Dr. Clapper, Dr. Ching, Ms. Lee and Ms. Sobin designed, conducted the research, and wrote the article. Ms. Mauer and Dr. Gerber contributed to the data collection, data analysis, and the article. Dr. Osorio and Dr. DiPace assisted with facilitation of the course, research protocol, data collection, and contributed to the article.

Disclosure Statement

The authors report no conflicts of interest.

Additional information

Funding

The authors did not receive funding to conduct this research.