Women’s Hospital goes for skills training to boost patient care

Women’s Hospital of Hamad Medical Corporation will be the first in the Middle East to adopt the TeamSTEPPS training programme to enhance patient care and safety by developing teamwork capabilities and inter-professional practice among its healthcare providers.
The goal of the training is to fully engage all Women’s Hospital staff with the programme and integrate the methods learned into their everyday practice.
TeamSTEPPS is an evidence based teamwork system developed by the United States’ department of defence in collaboration with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. The aim of the programme is to produce effective clinical teams that optimise the use of information, people and resources to achieve the best clinical outcomes for their
patients.
“TeamSTEPPS is a powerful tool that will support the hospital’s staff in continuing to deliver the safest, most effective and most compassionate care to each and every one of our patients,” stated Dr Salwa Abu Yaqoub, vice chair of education, clinical lead of TeamSTEPPS training and senior consultant of
obstetrics and gynaecology.
“Throughout the patient journey, a woman may encounter many healthcare professionals. Practical implementation of the TeamSTEPPS communication tools can really enhance a patient’s safety,” she stated.
Over 500 clinicians from the departments of nursing, obstetrics and gynaecology, anaesthesia, and neonatal intensive care unit participated in the week-long training session. Participants are taught four key competencies based on leadership, communications, situational monitoring and mutual support. These competencies aim to further increase staff adaptability, accuracy, productivity, efficiency, safety and mutual trust between team members which is proven to decrease medical
errors.
“What is great about the training programme is that it promotes stronger inter-professional working between doctors, nurses and other members of the clinical support team and other departments through a series of tools and strategies,” said Dr Maryam Kunjachen, specialist for obstetrics and gynaecology at Women’s Hospital and faculty member of TeamSTEPPS training.
“With the training, we start thinking less like an individual and more like a team and an essential part of this team includes our patients,” she said, adding that TeamSTEPPS is a very valuable programme that gives everyone the opportunity to be part of communications in order to provide the best possible patient care.
In collaboration with Hamad International Training Centre, Women’s Hospital has run a total of 31 sessions, in its simulation training facility. The goal is to complete TeamSTEPPS training for all clinicians by the end of the year prior to transferring to the new Women’s Wellness and Research Centre scheduled to open in 2017.