Home  >  Why Teamwork

“Since the majority of perinatal death and injury cases reported root causes related to problems with organizational culture and with communication among caregivers, it is recommended that organizations conduct team training in perinatal areas to teach staff to work together and communicate more effectively.”
Joint Commission Sentinel Alert, July 21, 2004

You may work with some of the most skilled clinicians in the world, but if you are not working as a team, errors can occur and patient safety may be compromised. Unidentified, uninterrupted errors cause harm. Professionals trained in team behaviors are best prepared to recognize, manage, and mitigate the impact of unfolding error. A 10-year study of closed obstetrics-related medical malpractice claims in the Harvard system found that 42% of the claims could have been mitigated or prevented had teamwork behaviors been employed. In a separate finding, the Institute of Medicine (IOM) identified poor clinical teamwork as a consequential contributor to patient care delivery problems, medical error, and adverse events. The Joint Commission reported that “…the majority of perinatal death and injury cases reported root causes related to problems with organizational culture and communication among caregivers,” and recommended that “organizations conduct team training in perinatal areas to teach staff to work together and communicate more effectively.” Team training provides both the infrastructure and the tools to maximize communication and improve decision-making among caregivers. Information flow, via a common language and shared expectations, creates a culture of increased patient safety. On teamtrained units, both patients and providers experience measurable improvements in safety and satisfaction outcomes.