title: Virtual TeamSTEPPS(®) Simulations Produce Teamwork Attitude Changes Among Health Professions Students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The majority of the estimated 400,000 or more patient deaths per year in the United States are from preventable medical errors due to poor communication. Team training programs have been established to teach teamwork skills to health professions students. However, it is often challenging to provide this training at a physical site. A brief intervention using a virtual learning environment with TeamSTEPPS(®)-based scenarios is described.
  
  
  METHODS
  Using a pretest-posttest design, the effects on teamwork attitudes in 109 health professional students from two institutions and multiple disciplines were measured using the TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Attitudes questionnaire.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Participants showed significant attitude changes in the categories of leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication (p ⩽ .05), with significance in four of the six indicator attitudes in the communication section at the p ⩽ .001 level.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These findings indicate the potential impact that virtual learning experiences may have on teamwork attitudes in learners across professions on multiple campuses.
authors.forename: Linda I
authors.initials: LI
authors.lastname: Sweigart
authors.forename: Rachel A
authors.initials: RA
authors.lastname: Umoren
authors.forename: Patrician J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Scott
authors.forename: Kay Hodson
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Carlton
authors.forename: James A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Truman
authors.forename: Evalyn J
authors.initials: EJ
authors.lastname: Gossett
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D005260:Female; D006281:Health Occupations / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D008297:Male; D010348:Patient Care Team; D000066908:Simulation Training; D055815:Young Adult