In pursuit of high performing health care teams: A test of TeamSTEPPSRTM as a mode to improve relational coordination in an ambulatory care team

The purpose of this study was to identify the potential effectiveness of using TeamSTEPPSRTM, a popular health care team training program, to improve relational coordination in an ambulatory care team. Given that this was the first study of its kind, the objective was to contribute to this nascent area of research by expanding what is known about interventions that impact relational coordination, a mutually reinforcing process of communicating and relating for the purpose of task integration. Higher levels of relational coordination have been shown to predict a wide range of performance outcomes for healthcare teams, including patient and provider satisfaction, improved safety and quality outcomes, reduced lengths of stay and medical cost savings. TeamSTEPPSRTM is a widely used evidence-based team training curriculum designed to improve health care team performance. TeamSTEPPSRTM and relational coordination theory share many of the same constructs, for example the central role of shared knowledge and awareness of interdependence. While relational coordination provides a theory and a measurement tool, TeamSTEPPSRTM provides a potential intervention to enhance relational coordination. To date no identified studies have assessed the potential impact of TeamSTEPPSRTM on relational coordination. Thus, the contribution of this exploratory study was a demonstration of the potential impact of TeamSTEPPSRTM training on relational coordination in an ambulatory care team through a preexperimental, one group, pretest/posttest study design. Results indicated significantly higher team-level relational coordination scores following team participation in TeamSTEPPSRTM training. Additionally, participants' Reported Use of Training was found to be positively associated with the relational coordination dimension of Mutual Respect. Qualitative data supported these findings. These results indicate that TeamSTEPPSRTM team training holds the potential to be used as an effective intervention to increase relational coordination in health care teams.