One of the largest evidence-based teamwork training programs is TeamSTEPPSopens in new window, a set of teamwork tools jointly developed by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Department of Defense. TeamSTEPPS aims to optimize patient outcomes by improving communication and teamwork skills among health-care professionals.
The curriculum leads health-care employees through a series of modules designed to improve communication, lead teams, improve situation monitoring and increase mutual support for team members. After implementing the program, one California health system reduced the dosage of labor-inducing drugs by 15 percent, without increasing C-section rates, and a Wisconsin hospital association that used the program to improve clinical quality and safety reduced the number of hospital readmissions by 22 percent in 18 months, according to AHRQ data.
TeamSTEPPS got its start in hospitals, but it also offers a curriculum for office-based care. From major academic medical centers to small-town family medicine practices, it's catching on: More than 1.5 million health-care workers have completed the TeamSTEPPS program, using evidence-based practice to strengthen teams. —Kirsten Weir
