Effective communication and true teamwork are at the root of organizational success but prove to be challenging. TeamSTEPPS® is a training program that offers the opportunity to empower to your team with tools to be successful at both. Want to learn more? Stay Tuned! Starting this week and continuing in upcoming issues of the Aging Update, more details (and tips) from TeamSTEPPS® will be shared. Articles will highlight some of the grant project participant and team members’ favorite TeamSTEPPS® modules, tools and strategies. This week provides a very brief overview of TeamSTEPPS® and details on the shared mental model.
TeamSTEPPS Overview
TeamSTEPPS® is a teamwork and communication program developed to be a user-friendly, effective training to help reduce errors and improve safety. TeamSTEPPS® combines lessons learned in healthcare and the Department of Defense to provide specific skills, strategies and tools for use in a variety of healthcare settings. At the core are four teachable/learnable skills: communication, leadership, situation monitoring and mutual support. These skills are inter-connected with three team related outcomes. These outcomes are enhanced knowledge, positive outcomes and exceptional performance. Specific tools and strategies are taught for each skill with the goals of creating high performing teams and improved care outcomes. The evidence base for TeamSTEPPS® continues to grow.
Have you ever had a moment where you realize that you and your spouse, friend, co-worker or your team aren’t “on the same page” or are unintentionally working against each other? Look at the visual from the TeamSTEPPS® curriculum and think about the impact the lack of a shared mental model can have on a project outcome, a conversation or a resident’s care. Let’s hope you’ve never been this far “out of the loop”, but moments where someone is “out of the loop” occur frequently within work teams and are typically caused by the lack of or poor communication.
In the situation monitoring portion of TeamSTEPPS®, the importance of have a shared mental model is established. A shared mental, according to TeamSTEPPS, is the “perception of, understanding of, or knowledge about a situation or process that is shared among team members through communication.”
The shared mental model allows team members to have the same understanding of the situation, knowledge about who is responsible for what and awareness of what additional information or resources are needed. When a shared mental model is in place, it allows the whole team to provide care in a synchronized way because each person understands the interplay of roles, how to back each other up and it creates a common purpose. A shared mental model cannot happen without intentional and continuous communication that includes input from all team members.
Having a shared mental model may seem simple or like it would take too much time, but it is incredibly powerful. TeamSTEPPS suggests using opportunities like huddles, briefs, handoffs and other meetings (you’ll read more about some of these soon) as opportunities to create, refresh and refine the shared mental model, thereby improving teamwork and resident care.
Curious how to introduce the idea to your team? Here are a few ideas to get you started.
Introduce the idea of a shared mental model during a meeting or as you work through a specific
situation.
- Define the concept and explain the significance.
- Show the group the TeamSTEPPS® shared mental model visual located within this article. Ask questions about times when the team felt a shared model existed and times it didn’t. Ask further questions to help the group understand how the outcome differed and how it felt to work within and without a shared mental model.
- Ask the group for input. Once you’ve collectively started the discussion, continue it by
seeking out input from others and revisiting the conversation. Remember as situations
evolve so to should the mental model and the full group should be part of that
evolution. This ensures nobody is left in their shorts when hazmat suits are most
appropriate!
Consider using TeamSTEPPS® tools like the SBAR, IPASS and Handoffs. These tools all
standardize the way information is organized and shared which helps to create the shared
mental model.
More information on TeamSTEPPS® and all the tools mentioned in this article can be found by visiting the website or by contacting Stephanie Gfeller.
