Chair Files

Improving and Sustaining Teamwork

Communication breakdowns continue to be a leading cause of medical errors. Staff at Butler County Health Care Center, a 20-bed critical access hospital in David City, Neb., came to the same conclusion while working on a project to reduce medical errors. Their answer for addressing this issue: TeamSTEPPS, an evidence-based system to improve communication and teamwork developed by the U.S. Department of Defense?s Patient Safety Program and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. BCHCC began TeamSTEPPS implementation by training a small group of staff and, after realizing the program?s value, eventually provided training in TeamSTEPPS fundamentals to every employee. Employees gather in groups of 10 to 12 to learn vital teamwork tools?in areas of leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support and communication?and then practice in team activities and simulated situations. To sustain the program, BCHCC?s coaches and master trainers plan frequent follow-up activities, including team-building games and refresher sessions. The hospital?s board of directors and administration provide continued commitment and support. During the three years that TeamSTEPPS has been active, medication errors that reach the patient have decreased 30 percent, and the number of patient falls has decreased 88 percent. For more information, contact Don Naiberk, CEO, at don@bchccnet.org. General information about TeamSTEPPS is available at http://teamstepps.ahrq.gov. Individuals can put their name on a waiting list for free regional TeamSTEPPS trainings at http://register.rcsreg.com/r2/hret2012/ga/top.html.

  

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