response wee 3a1

Response 1 wichm

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) created an evidence-based outline to enhance team performance throughout the healthcare system, this framework is called TeamSTEPPS. TeamSTEPPS stands for Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety. This framework encompassing four skills including: leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support and communication (AHRQ, 2017). When the training has been completed the team members will be competent in their knowledge, attitude and performance to allow them to improve the safety of patients within a TeamSTEPPS organization. The TeamSTEPPS program is comprised of three phases: assessing the need; planning, training, and implementation as well as sustainment.

The first phase of assessing the need refers to the assessment of a site and developing a team to help in the improvement. Within this phase first the institution must be in need of this initiative as well as ready for the change. Next, the change team is addressed, this team should consist of people with leadership qualities that represent the scope of healthcare professionals within the specific organization (AHRQ, 2017). Need can be assessed in multiple ways and to develop an opportunity for improvement the team must first understand the baseline of the facility and recognize where improvement and change needs to be made. After this is understood the change team can define the problem that needs improvement and map out interventions to be made. Finally, the team should define the goal of these interventions, each goal should state in one sentence what will be achieved, who will be involved and when the change will occur (AHRQ, 2017). The second phase of this change is dependent on the goals and interventions created in phase one.

Planning, training and implementation in the next phase. The team developed in phase one are now trained to develop a plan of action for the facilities employees. The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2017) defines the steps within this phase as follows:

1) Define the TeamSTEPPS intervention, 2) Develop a plan for determining the interventions effectiveness, 3) Develop an implementation plan, 4) Gain leadership commitment to the plan, 5) Develop a communication plan, 6) Prepare the institution, 7) Implement training.

This phase is the most involved of the three phases. Inside this phase the change team becomes competent in the goals of the facility and creates a training to educate the rest of the healthcare team.

The final step in this process is details for sustaining the TeamSTEPPS intervention. The sustainment plan should allow for ways to provide opportunities to practice, emphasize new skills and provide continuing and regular feedback and coaching (AHRQ, 2017). Like all change, leaders as well as all team members should celebrate success to provide hope to everyone as well as show how the team has improved. Finally, the change team should measure success to ensure that all phases in the change are being implemented as well as continually revising the plan as needed.

As a Family Nurse Practitioner in a primary care position it will not be difficult for me to implement the TeamSTEEPS framework. In an obvious way this can be implement within the staff of the facility I work. In a not so common way the framework of this program can be implemented with each and every patient I come in contact with. To help in a plan of care I will need to assess the needs of the patient, assemble a plan of care and communicate the plan with the patient, and follow up with how they are bettering their lifestyle with this plan. Just like TeamSTEEPS it will be important to celebrate the wins, such as a decrease in medication or important lab work. I will also measure the success of the plan of care and update it as needed.

References

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2017). About TEAMSTEPPS. Retrieved from: https://www.ahrq.gov/teamstepps/about-teamstepps/index.html

Response 2 rebe

Review the Team STEPPS initiative from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). Describe the specific objectives of this national initiative and how you can implement this into your clinical setting as an APN to reduce patient errors and improve teamwork and communication.

The TeamSTEPPS initiative developed by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), is an evidence-based teamwork system that was created to improve communication and teamwork among healthcare workers in an environment. The system provides materials and training that promote teamwork throughout the healthcare system. The big objective is to help organizations reach the goal of providing higher quality, safer patient care. This objective is reached by using the framework that addresses and teaches the skills needed for good teamwork, which are identified throughout the areas of communication, leadership, situation monitoring, and mutual support (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services).

TeamSTEPPS reaches its goal by producing highly effective medical teams that optimize the use of information, people, and resources, increasing team awareness by clarifying roles and responsibilities, and resolving conflicts by improving the methods of sharing information. Addressing these components allows organizations within the healthcare system to eliminate barriers that interfere with the ability to provide safer, higher quality patient care (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services).

As a Family Nurse Practitioner I can use this system to improve my own practice in whatever clinical setting I choose to practice in. As a nurse practitioner, I will be able to encourage the use of systems like TeamSTEPPS to better teamwork with coworkers. I will have a greater opportunity to reach out to a larger population within the healthcare system to initiate the formulation of groups using the additional leadership skills I have learned. Having more experience, education, training, and skills will also promote my confidence to introduce this initiative. I can help with identifying problems and implementing plans to improve patient care.

It has been reported that around 2,000 patient deaths a year within our nation could be prevented if there was better communication between staff and with their patients. An article by Bailey (2016) states that in one study of 1,744 patients, about 30% of malpractice cases were caused by communication failures. Out of 23,658 malpractice cases investigated from 2009-2013, 7,000 were determined to be the cause of miscommunication among healthcare professionals (Bailey, 2016). Programs like TeamSTEPPS can help reduce some of these medical errors by providing the education and teaching needed to work well as a team and encourage effective communication within them. As a nurse practitioner, I will have a great opportunity to promote this kind of system and make patient care safer.

References

Bailey, M. (2016). Communication failures linked to 1,744 deaths in five years, US malpractice study finds. STAT News. Retrieved from the website: https://www.statnews.com/2016/02/01/communication-failures-malpractice-study/

U.S. Department of Health & Human Services. About TeamSTEPPS. Retrieved from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality website: https://www.ahrq.gov/teamstepps/about-teamstepps/index.html