title: Teamwork education improves trauma team performance in undergraduate health professional students.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Effective trauma resuscitation requires efficient and coordinated care from a team of providers; however, providers are rarely instructed on how to be effective members of trauma teams. Team-based learning using Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) has been shown to improve team dynamics among practicing professionals, including physicians and nurses. The impact of TeamSTEPPS on students being trained in trauma management in an undergraduate health professional program is currently unknown. We sought to determine the impact of TeamSTEPPS on team dynamics among undergraduate students being trained in trauma resuscitation.
  
  
  METHODS
  We enrolled teams of undergraduate health professional students from four programs: nursing, physician assistant, radiologic science, and respiratory care. After completing an online training on trauma resuscitation principles, the participants completed a trauma resuscitation scenario. The participants then received teamwork training using TeamSTEPPS and completed a second trauma resuscitation scenario identical to the first. All resuscitations were recorded and scored offline by two blinded research assistants using both the Team Emergency Assessment Measure (TEAM) and Trauma Team Performance Observation Tool (TPOT) scoring systems. Pre-test and post-test TEAM and TPOT scores were compared.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We enrolled a total of 48 students in 12 teams. Team leadership, situational monitoring, and overall communication improved with TeamSTEPPS training (P=0.04, P=0.02, and P=0.03, respectively), as assessed by the TPOT scoring system. TeamSTEPPS also improved the team's ability to prioritize tasks and work together to complete tasks in a rapid manner (P<0.01 and P=0.02, respectively) as measured by TEAM.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Incorporating TeamSTEPPS into trauma team education leads to improved TEAM and TPOT scores among undergraduate health professionals.
authors.affiliation: Villa Maria School of Nursing, Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences, Gannon University, Erie, USA.
authors.forename: Valerie O'Toole
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2213-8735
authors.initials: VO
authors.lastname: Baker
authors.affiliation: Radiologic Sciences Program, Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences, Gannon University, Erie, USA.
authors.forename: Ronald
authors.identifier: 0000-0001-5633-2264
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Cuzzola
authors.affiliation: Physician Assistant Program, Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences, Gannon University, Erie, USA.
authors.forename: Carolyn
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1022-7287
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Knox
authors.affiliation: Radiologic Sciences Program, Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences, Gannon University, Erie, USA.
authors.forename: Cynthia
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9367-6514
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Liotta
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Care Program, Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences, Gannon University, Erie, USA.
authors.forename: Charles S
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-7160-5002
authors.initials: CS
authors.lastname: Cornfield
authors.affiliation: Respiratory Care Program, Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences, Gannon University, Erie, USA.
authors.forename: Robert D
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-5707-4540
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Tarkowski
authors.affiliation: Office of the Provost, Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences, Gannon University, Erie, USA.
authors.forename: Carolynn
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-2622-2766
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Masters
authors.affiliation: Villa Maria School of Nursing, Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences, Gannon University, Erie, USA.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-0633-5824
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.affiliation: Radiologic Sciences Program, Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences, Gannon University, Erie, USA.
authors.forename: Suzanne
authors.identifier: 0000-0002-9688-0019
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sturdivant
authors.affiliation: Patient Simulation Center, Morosky College of Health Professions and Sciences, Gannon University, Erie, USA.|Department of Emergency Medicine, Saint Vincent Health System, Erie, USA.
authors.forename: Jestin N
authors.identifier: 0000-0003-1932-3670
authors.initials: JN
authors.lastname: Carlson
keywords: Leadership; Nurses; Physician assistants; Professional education; Resuscitation