148 - TEAMSTEPPS During Codes in the OR: Turning Chaos into Control

Description: New York Presbyterian Westchester (NYPW) is a community hospital with over 250 beds in Bronxville, NY. The hospital contains 8 Operating Rooms and performs an average of 370 cases per month which include both inpatient and same day surgery patients. The services that perform procedures include Orthopedics, Spine, Vascular, General Surgery, Gynecology, Urology, ENT and Podiatry. In response to two sentinel events involving cardiac arrests, quality assurance assessments and root cause analyses (RCAs) were conducted. From these reviews areas of opportunity were identified which included improving communication amongst team members, knowing one's role and responsibilities and leader identification in a code.
Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (Team STEPPS) is an evidence-based methodology on teamwork to improve communication and teamwork skills among healthcare professionals. A group of staff members including Surgeons, Anesthesiologists, CRNAs, Surgical Technologists, and PAs attended a two-day training course to learn Team STEPPS. Prior to the program a mock code was conducted, followed by a staff survey evaluating their comfort level during a cardiac arrest event. After completing the course and a second mock code, the follow up survey showed improved team communication and role clarity. The implications of Team STEPPS on perioperative nursing are to improve patient safety, promote culture change, and improve patient outcomes.