Assessing Baccalaureate Nursing Students Attitudes Towards Teamwork and Communication Using TeamSTEPPS™ Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire

Purpose:  The purpose of this scholarly project is to assess the attitudes of junior and senior level nursing students regarding the various components of teamwork as it relates to their current level of education regarding patient care and safety.  This project will also provide faculty with detail regarding specific student attitudes and knowledge related to communication and teamwork that is currently unavailable through the existing systematic program assessment plan (SPAP).

Background:   Baccalaureate programs are challenged to prepare graduates who are able demonstrate leadership and communication skills to effect healthy patient outcomes. This baccalaureate program is implementing a curriculum revision aimed at improving leadership skills and enhancing communication; two of the programs revised student learning outcomes. Current data sets lack detail on specific content areas regarding teamwork and communication.  The department’s SPAP has identified the program is not meeting the benchmark on several indicators for communication. 

Method:  This descriptive study will assess attitudes towards the core components of teamwork and communication. Students enrolled in junior and senior level nursing theory courses will be invited to participate in this study.  The TeamSTEPPS™ Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire (T-TAQ) will be used to assess constructs of team structure, leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication.  This survey consists of 30 items scored on a Likert scale; 6 items for measuring each teamwork construct.  Surveys will be distributed to approximately 250 students who agree to participate in the study.  Data will be analyzed using SPSS version 22.  Descriptive statistics will be used to evaluate student responses in each of the constructs.  Further analysis will be completed comparing constructs between junior and senior level nursing students.

Results:  Data will be collected from all students enrolled in targeted nursing theory course during the Academic Year 2015-16.  

Conclusion: Pending completion of the study.

Application/Recommendations for Nursing Education:  The Essentials for Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice identify interprofessional communication as a critical element to improving patient health outcomes.  The researchers anticipate that the outcomes of this study will assist in preparing graduates who are able to demonstrate teamwork and communication skills.  Data regarding student attitudes may help inform curriculum and teaching/learning practices.  The ability to analyze data across levels allows faculty to pinpoint specific curriculum weaknesses related to the constructs of teamwork and communication. Finally, faculty are interested in assessing the usefulness and applicability of this survey as a data set for program assessment.