Team SAFE: A large-scale interprofessional simulation-based TeamSTEPPS® curriculum

Abstract

Abstract Medical errors have been shown to be the third leading cause of death in the United States9 and poor communication is the root cause for more than two thirds of sentinel events.10 Several early Institute of Medicine (IOM) reports recommend interprofessional team training as a way to mitigate medical errors, with a 2003 report specifically recommending simulation as a valuable format for achieving this goal.1–3 In order to reduce medical errors and address the Quadruple Aim4 of healthcare, health professions students must graduate equipped with tools to help them support interprofessional team members in delivering safe, patient-centered care once in practice. Team SAFE (Simulation and Fearlessness Education), a longitudinal, simulation-based curriculum adapted from TeamSTEPPS® (a national, evidence-based patient safety and teamwork training framework) aids students in learning and practicing critical components of teamwork and patient safety in a low stakes environment. Our easily replicable curriculum is delivered in three phases using “flipped classroom” principles and experiential learning to help interprofessional students retain the material. Learners begin with knowledge and acquisition of team-based skills through interactive online pre-work, then apply these skills in the care and observation of care of simulated patients during the course of three cases, and finally, participate in a faculty-facilitated debriefing of each case. The curriculum includes an advanced component for senior students, with more clinically complex cases and nuanced teamwork scenarios to help reinforce the TeamSTEPPS® concepts as students finish their clinical training before beginning to practice in their respective fields. In 2016–2017, 554 students from medicine, nursing, occupational therapy, pharmacy, physician assistant and radiologic sciences completed this program. This Team SAFE curricular model is easily modifiable for different professions and levels of learners, requiring minimal faculty time and resources. Although reportedly forced outside of their comfort zones by participating in the interactive simulations, students comment that they learn effective teamwork skills that have the potential to enhance their leadership skills and improve patient safety.