Effectiveness of a Proficiency-based Progression Communication Training Programme

Summary

Breakdown in communication between healthcare workers leads to significant patient harm on a daily basis, worldwide. The "safety huddle" is being introduced internationally as a means of overcoming this problem. The "safety huddle" is where healthcare workers of all types gather for a 15-minute meeting to voice and address safety concerns for their patients. The safety of the patients depends on how well people communicate with each other at the "safety huddle". As communication skills vary, the research team plans to devise a team training course for healthcare workers of all types that ensures a standard is reached which is as good as teams we know perform well. The research team plans to introduce this training programme to one ward in two different hospitals with the aim of reducing patient harm. The team will compare rates of harm using a method that has been used around the world and involves looking back through some patients' notes for certain clues. The team will do this by choosing notes at random for a 6-month period before the training and again for a 6 month period after the training. The researchers will then see if levels of harm have improved or not with the team training. The researchers will also measure how well the teams conduct the "safety huddle" and if they felt that in general there was more safety awareness on the ward.

Conditions

• Adverse Events

Interventions

OTHER

A team, proficiency based progression, simulation training programme

The training programme will consist of two components (i) a short online training course including video examples of high performing teams and also poor practice (ii) a ward-based team huddle simulation training and assessment programme. The design and shape of the training and assessment will be based on the development of robust metrics. The design of the metrics and programme will centre around use in the acute hospital setting but will be readily adaptable to the obstetric, paediatric setting. The process of validating the metrics and building the online and simulation course involves the review of videotapes of safety huddle performance.

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Health Research Board, Ireland

  collaborator OTHER

• Cork University Hospital

  collaborator OTHER

• University Hospital Waterford

  collaborator OTHER

• University of Ulster

  collaborator OTHER

• Orsi Academy

  collaborator OTHER

• International Society for Quality in Health care

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Health Service Executive, Ireland

  collaborator OTHER

• Irish Patients Association

  collaborator UNKNOWN

• Dorothy Breen

  lead OTHER

Principal Investigators

• Dorothy Breen · Cork University Hospital

• George Shorten · University College Cork & Cork University Hospital

• Peter Neary · University Hospital Waterford

Eligibility

Min Age

18 Years

Sex

ALL

Healthy Volunteers

Yes

Timeline & Regulatory

Start

2020-09-30

Primary Completion

2022-08-31

Completion

2022-08-31

Countries

• Ireland

Study Locations