Primary Team Nursing (PTN) and TeamSTEPPS as an Intervention for Change

Healthcare systems recognize a need to develop effective teams for patient safety. In 2012, a National Cancer Institute (NCI) designated comprehensive cancer center selected the TeamSTEPPS® Model and Essentials Curriculum as the training framework to transition inpatient nursing staff to a new patient care delivery system, Primary Team Nursing (PTN). The uniqueness of this more contemporary PTN model was that it included a clinical nurse leader at its helm. The purpose of this retrospective research study was to examine the effect of incorporating TeamSTEPPS curriculum on nursing staff perceptions of teamwork. This study also analyzed which TeamSTEPPS core component demonstrated the greatest change as perceived by the nurses. A Wilcoxon-rank sum test determined the statistical significance between the survey conducted before and after TeamSTEPPS training to evaluate seven inpatient units collectively followed by an analysis of each unit individually. The effect of incorporating the TeamSTEPPS Model and Essentials Curriculum as the training framework for clinical staff as measured by the Teamwork Perceptions questionnaire was statistically significant (p=0.004). Scores were higher at month six compared to baseline for all the components, i.e. team structure, team leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication. With the exception of team structure and team leadership, components were statistically significant. The TeamSTEPPS core component that demonstrated the greatest change was situation monitoring with an increase in 0.13 on average (3.93-3.80). Identifying that TeamSTEPPS enhances teamwork, in the context of PTN, helps to establish the groundwork for future research linking TeamSTEPPS scores to patient safety outcomes.