Introduction to Team STEPPS as a Resource for Interprofessional Practice

Abstract

Introduction to Team STEPPS as a Resource for Interprofessional PracticeTo address the increasing complexity and rising cost of health care, emphasis has been directed toward interprofessional team-based health care (Gonzalo et al., 2017). Team-based practice requires competencies beyond those of professional competence. In addition to knowledge of basic and clinical sciences, health care providers must possess non-technical skills in the areas of task management, teamwork, leadership, situation awareness, and decision making (Naik & Brien, 2013). These skills, along with effective communication, lay the foundation for successful professional relationships and high functioning teams. A systematic review on the experiences of health professionals regarding interprofessional collaboration in primary health care settings found that practitioners experience of teamwork is based on integration, trust, respect, openness to collaboration, a feeling of belonging, humility, and time to listen and talk (Sangaleti, Schveitzer, Peduzzi, Zoboli, & Soares, 2017). The Interprofessional Education Collaborative (IPEC) identified four core competencies for interprofessional practice: values and ethics; roles and responsibilities; interprofessional communication; and teams and teamwork (InterprofessionalEducationCollaborative, 2016). This session will explore the skills necessary for effective team-based practice using the Team STEPPS framework. Team STEPPS is an evidence-based program developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the Department of Defense ( DoD) with the goal of improving the performance of health care teams and, ultimately, patient care and safety ( About TeamSTEPPS, April 2017). Team STEPPS is used across the healthcare continuum, from hospital and long-term care settings to primary care and dental clinics. The framework addresses the leadership, communication, situation monitoring, and mutual support skills necessary for high functioning teams. Using a combination of active and didactic strategies, this session will provide an overview of Team STEPPS concepts and introduce participants to specific tools that will allow Doctors of Chiropractic to communicate with other health care professionals. This session will address common communication challenges and provide strategies for improving communication among providers and with patients and families. Participants will also be introduced to tools to help them lead teams and address conflicts. Situation monitoring is the ability to assess the environment and detect potential areas of confusion, and participants will be given tools to help them establish mutual understanding among team members. Finally, the session will address the importance of mutual support as the ability to assist another team member or provide constructive feedback. Interprofessional teamwork involves negotiation and shared decision making, mutual respect, and trust. It requires providers to be able to explain their own role in patient care and respect the important roles of the other providers on the team. Team STEPPS provides evidence-based, commonly accepted tools to enable chiropractors to participate as effective members of interprofessional teams. ReferencesAbout TeamSTEPPS. (April 2017). Retrieved November 21,2017, from http://www.ahrq.gov/teamstepps/about-teamstepps/index.htmlGonzalo, J. D., Haidet, P., Papp, K. K., Wolpaw, D. R., Moser, E., Wittenstein, R. D., & Wolpaw, T. (2017). Educating for the 21st-century health care system: An interdependent framework of basic, clinical, and systems sciences. Academic Medicine, 92(1), 35-39. doi: 10.1097/ACM.0000000000000951InterprofessionalEducationCollaborative. (2016). Core competencies for interprofessional collaborative practice: 2016 update. Washington, DC: Interprofessional Education Collaborative.Naik, V. N., & Brien, S. E. (2013). Review article: Simulation: A means to address and improve patient safety. Candian Journal of Anesthesiology, 60, 192-200. doi: 10.1007/s12630-012-9860-zSangaleti, C., Schveitzer, M., Peduzzi, M., Zoboli, E., & Soares, C. (2017). Experiences and shared meaning of teamwork and interprofessional collaboration among healthcare professionals in primary health care settings: A systematic review. JBI Database of Systematic Reviews and Implementation Reports, 15(11), 2723-2788