Clinical errors—the unclassified diagnosis; application of TeamSTEPPS tool to examine the impact of teamwork on clinical errors at Gulu Hospital
Date
2024
Authors
Abacha, G. O.
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Publisher
Strathmore University
Abstract
Clinical error continues to highlight the shortcomings of the healthcare system, particularly the Healthcare ergonomics and the human system. If it were to be a disease, it would rank the third-leading cause of deaths in the population. They are latent or active events that occur as a result of structural, process, or outcome-based actions ranging from failing of an action on intended objective to using erroneous policy, procedures, processes, and practices in patient care. Healthcare institutions are investing significant resources to reduce the incidence and severity of clinical errors in patients through collaborative team structures and effective communication in order to promotes safe, patient-centred, and equitable healthcare. However, in Uganda and elsewhere the notion of teamwork to reduce clinical error incidence and severity have been low due to poor safety culture, punitive leadership, poor communication ethics, and lack of mutual team support. This study aimed to examine how team structures, leadership and management, mutual support, and communication impacts on the incidence and severity of clinical errors at Gulu Hospital. The study was anchored on two theories and models: Human Error and system error theories and TeamSTEPPS Model and System Engineering Initiatives for Patient Safety (SEIPS). A mixed-method cross-sectional study design using structured and unstructured questionnaires developed from the Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patients Safety (TeamSTEPPS) framework were used to collect primary and secondary data. The collected data were analyzed using Spearman’s Rank Correlation in SPSS Version 10. The result showed that conflict management and effective team communication significantly improves clinical error reporting, resolution, and deaths, however, no significant relationship with team structures, team leadership, and mutual team support. Furthermore, the findings showed clinical error deaths are not significantly related to the different teamwork themes studied except team conflict management. In conclusion, though clinical error is not a classified diagnosis by standard, the results indicate that teamwork may reduce the incidence and severity of clinical error at Gulu Hospital. The study recommends hospital, policy institutions, and healthcare providers to embrace teamwork as an innovative approach to strengthen team collaborations especially in promoting quality of care and patient safety culture in healthcare.
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Citation
Abacha, G. O. (2024). Clinical errors—The unclassified diagnosis; application of TeamSTEPPS tool to examine the impact of teamwork on clinical errors at Gulu Hospital [Strathmore University]. http://hdl.handle.net/11071/15553