Assessing interprofessional teamwork: pilot test of a new assessment module for practicing physicians.
J Contin Educ Health Prof. 2015 Jan;35(1):3-10
Authors: Chesluk BJ, Reddy S, Hess B, Bernabeo E, Lynn L, Holmboe E
Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Teamwork is a basic component of all health care, and substantial research links the quality of teamwork to safety and quality of care. The TEAM (Teamwork Effectiveness Assessment Module) is a new Web-based teamwork assessment module for practicing hospital physicians. The module combines self-assessment, multisource feedback from members of other professions and specialties with whom the physician exercises teamwork, and a structured review of those data with a peer to develop an improvement plan.
METHODS: We conducted a pilot test of this module with hospitalist physicians to evaluate the feasibility and usefulness of the module in practice, focusing on these specific questions: Would physicians in hospitals of different types and sizes be able to use the module; would the providers identified as raters respond to the request for feedback; would the physicians be able to identify one or more "trusted peers" to help analyze the feedback; and how would physicians experience the module process overall?
RESULTS: 20 of 25 physicians who initially volunteered for the pilot completed all steps of the TEAM, including identifying interprofessional teammates, soliciting feedback from their team, and identifying a peer to help review data. Module users described the feedback they received as helpful and actionable, and indicated this was information they would not have otherwise received.
CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a module combining self-assessment, multisource feedback, and a guided process for interpreting these data can provide help practicing hospital physicians to understand and potentially improve their interprofessional teamwork skills and behaviors.
PMID: 25799967 [PubMed - in process]