Abstract

Introduction: Maintaining high standards of multidisciplinary-interprofessional collaboration is imminent in a complex in-hospital healthcare system. Training of healthcare teams helps to improve healthcare quality. This paper describes the TeAMS-program (Training and Assessment of Medical Specialists) of VU University Medical Center which aims to improve non-technical skills necessary for working in multidisciplinary-interprofessional teams.

Material and Methods: A hospital broad program was created. The philosophy of the program was: "Train the teams that actually work together, train scenarios relevant for those teams, train skills that can be applied immediately". The training was mandatory for medical specialists with a key performance indicator of 80% participation per year. Training-types were created for 1) acute situations 2) complex situations and 3) regular situations. A robust quality assurance system and a faculty development and maintenance program were installed. The TeAMS program was embedded in the organizational structure of the hospital.

Results: Seventy-five training sessions were conducted. Thirty-seven different specialisms participated and 593 professionals were trained in 2 years. Logistical, organizational difficulties and inability to participate were key factors for not reaching the goal. Adjustments were made to the program based on the input of the stakeholders and the program committee. Rating was >8 on a scale of 10. Nearly 99% of the respondents stated that they would recommend the training to colleagues.

Discussion and Conclusion: The TeAMS program of VUmc, is a unique multidisciplinary-interprofessional team training program for non-technical skills, mandatory for all medical specialists. The program reached all different medical specialisms, throughout the hospital. Embedding the program in the organizational structure of the hospital assured stability and continuity. A robust system of quality maintenance helped in achieving these results. The training-types have been designed using relevant clinical settings and scenarios. This tailor-made approach was highly appreciated by the participants. Logistics and finances were challenging.