title: Implementation of TeamSTEPPS at a Level-1 Military Trauma Center: The San Antonio Military Medical Center Experience.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  When a health care system deals with complex trauma patients while simultaneously serving as an educational platform, teamwork and clear communication are imperative. While there are numerous tools and resources available to address the concerns surrounding patient safety, Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) emphasizes a team approach to improve communication among all caregivers and is specifically designed to improve patient safety through improved communication. This article reports the interim results of implementation of TeamSTEPPS in the operating room environment at the most complex and busiest tertiary military trauma center in the Department of Defense in the midst of the longest period of continuous combat operations in US history.
  
  
  METHODS
  Data were collected from December 2013 through March 2014 on the number of total cases performed by month, number of debrief surveys submitted for those months, and associated percentage of surveys completed based on case category.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The overall compliance rate for the TeamSTEPPS process (from the pre-op brief to the debrief survey completion) was 75.1%. Responses showed a decrease in concerns in all areas during the period of observation. Equipment-related complaints decreased by 48%; instrument-related issues decreased by 29.9%; supply issues decreased by 53.3%; personnel issues decreased by 90.5%; case scheduling issues decreased by 35.7%; and preference card issues decreased by 72.1%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our results demonstrate that TeamSTEPPS can be successfully implemented in an integrated level-1 trauma center in the midst of combat casualty care with a greater than 75% overall compliance with TeamSTEPPS briefs. Further study on the sustainability of these results and the effect on operating room safety, productivity, and efficiency is necessary.
authors.affiliation: Dept of Surgery, San Antonio Military Medical Center, San Antonio, Texas.
authors.forename: Michelle M
authors.initials: MM
authors.lastname: Fischer
authors.forename: Creighton C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Tubb
authors.forename: Joseph A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Brennan
authors.forename: Douglas W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Soderdahl
authors.forename: Anthony E
authors.initials: AE
authors.lastname: Johnson
mesh_terms: D006772:Hospitals, Military / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008887:Military Medicine / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D013781:Texas; D014193:Trauma Centers / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*