Last year, Jamaica and Flushing Hospitals made tremendous strides in creating and implementing ways to improve and deliver safe quality care to patients. Specifically, the hospitals began TeamSTEPPS (Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety), a teamwork system designed by the Agency for Health Care Research and Quality (AHRQ) and the Department of Defense to develop staff leadership and communication skills.
Approximately 150 clinical and non-clinical employees were trained in 2013 as TeamSTEPPS trainers. These staff members attended a two-day training program, where they learned how to integrate teamwork principals into all areas of healthcare. To date, 800 clinical and non-clinical employees have been trained by Jamaica Hospital’s TeamSTEPPS trainers and 500 clinical employees have been trained at FHMC. The goal for 2014 is to train 80%-100% of all hospital employees. This year JHMC will be scheduling several TeamSTEPPS workshops and train the trainer sessions. FHMC will also continue training all clinical staff, starting with a training session that is scheduled for the end of March for the entire OR staff.
“Research has shown that there are several benefits to TeamSTEPPS,” said Tianna Masko, Assistant Director, Learning and Organizational Development, MediSys Health Network. “By truly incorporating TeamSTEPPS into our culture, we will produce highly effective teams, increase team awareness, resolve conflict better, and improve information sharing.”
“As a result, we improve patient safety and quality care and we make our healthcare organization the very best there is,” she added.