Document Type
DNP Project
Department
School of Nursing
Date of Degree
Spring 2025
Degree
Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
Primary Advisor
Dr. Karen Whitt
Keywords
TeamSTEPPS 3.0; teamwork; team communication; patient experience; T-TAQ
Abstract
Background: Teamwork and communication are learned skills that can have a tremendous impact on patient experience, patient outcomes, and team dynamics.
Purpose: To evaluate the effectiveness of a communication training program based on the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) TeamSTEPPS concepts: communication, team leadership, situation monitoring, and mutual support to improve teamwork and communication for cardiac step-down clinical staff.
Methods: This quality improvement project utilized a pre- and post-test design to evaluate cardiac step-down unit staff’s attitudes and perceptions regarding communication and teamwork rated on a 5-point scale using the 30-item AHRQ Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire (T-TAQ) before and after completing the training program. Patients’ experience scores from Press-Ganey surveys for the item, “Staff worked together for you,” were collected on a monthly and quarterly basis for 3 months before and after the staff education session to evaluate the impact that communication and teamwork had on the patient perception of the care they received. Data were analyzed using Microsoft Excel to generate descriptive statistics.
Results: 32 clinical staff members were recruited, of which 7 RNs and 1 care associate completed the training. Results from the AHRQ T-TAQ survey showed an increase in the staff’s mean ratings regarding team structure (pre=4.33; post=4.79), leadership (pre=4.79; post=4.92), situational monitoring (pre=4.60; post=4.65), mutual support (pre=3.27; post=3.31), and communication (pre=3.90; post=4.29) after completing the training. Patient experience scores related to “staff worked together for you” improved on a monthly and quarterly basis, with an 18.18% monthly increase and a 5.89% quarterly increase in patient experience scores over the 3 months after the education session.
Conclusion: Providing education on effective communication for clinical staff improves teamwork, which enhances the patient’s perception of the care they receive. Team communication training should be reinforced consistently and offered to more clinical staff within the organization.
Copyright Notice
©2025 Janelle Anderson. All rights reserved.
Recommended Citation
Anderson, J. (2025). Evaluating Team Communication using TeamSTEPPS on a Cardiac Step-Down Unit. , (). Retrieved from https://hsrc.himmelfarb.gwu.edu/son_dnp/192
Open Access
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