Integrating TeamSTEPPS ® into ambulatory reproductive health care: Early successes and lessons learned

Background Most medical teamwork improvement interventions have occurred in hospitals, and more efforts are needed to integrate them into ambulatory care settings. In 2014, Affiliates Risk Management Services, Inc. (ARMS), the risk management services organization for a large network of reproductive health care organizations in the United States, launched a voluntary 5‐year initiative to implement a medical teamwork system in this network using the TeamSTEPPS model. This article describes the ARMS initiative and progress made during the first 2 years, including lessons learned. Methods The ARMS TeamSTEPPS program consists of the following components: preparation of participating organizations, TeamSTEPPS master training, implementation of teamwork improvement programs, and evaluation. We used self‐administered questionnaires to assess satisfaction with the ARMS program and with the master training course. Results In the first 2 years, 20 organizations enrolled. Participants found the preparation phase valuable and were highly satisfied with the master training course. Although most attendees felt that the course imparted the knowledge and tools critical for TeamSTEPPS implementation, they identified time restraints and competing initiatives as potential barriers. The project team has learned valuable lessons about obtaining buy‐in, consolidating the change teams, making the curriculum relevant, and evaluation. Conclusion Ambulatory care settings require innovative approaches to integration of teamwork improvement systems. Evaluating and sharing lessons learned will help to hone best practices as we navigate this new frontier in the field of patient safety.