The problem  

When healthcare teams work as a collective, rather than a hierarchy, it improves patients’ safety. However, healthcare teams often struggle to find the time to learn and practise these skills.

The project

Using the findings of a previous HRB-funded study called Collective Leadership for Safety Cultures, this project saw a team at UCD work with the Institute of Art, Design and Technology to develop a series of videos. The aim of these videos is to help healthcare teams to engage in a self-directed training programme about working together for patient safety.

The outcomes

  • TeamTalk: A free and interactive resource hub for healthcare teams, which includes a series of training modules and video instructions to help healthcare teams work together
  • The training was first used by four different teams in hospitals and community settings, and has since been used by teams across the health system in Ireland
  • Healthcare teams that used TeamTalk reported a greater feeling of ‘psychological safety’, where team members could speak up, whatever their rank and/or profession
  • Healthcare teams in Northern Ireland and Wales are now using the TeamTalk platform to improve the focus on patient safety

Eilish McAuliffe, Professor of Health Systems at UCD, says:

“We developed a comprehensive set of open-source training modules and video instructions targeted at improving collective working, team performance and patient safety. When social distancing and other COVID-19 preventive measures were introduced, we adapted the materials so that teams could use them in online meetings. The training promoted a positive internal team environment and fostered the recognition that partnership is required for effective patient care. And, very importantly, teams reported a more collective mindset.”

“TeamTalk: Training healthcare teams to work collectively for patient safety” is part of a wider collection of success stories across four themes from the annual publication Health Research in Action.

Download Health Research in Action 2021.