Symposia
Dissemination & Implementation Science
Elizabeth A. McGuier, Ph.D.
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Jamie Feldman, BA
Research Project Assistant
University of pittsburgh medical center
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Mikele Bay, BA
Executive Director
Children's Advocacy Center of McKean County
Smethport, Pennsylvania
Sue Ascione, MS
Training Specialist
Northeast Regional Children's Advocacy Center
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania
Mary Tatum, MPA, ACFI
Director
Child Advocacy Center of Clearfield County
Clearfield, Pennsylvania
Eduardo Salas, PhD
Professor of Psychology
Rice University
Houston, Pennsylvania
David J. Kolko, Ph.D.
Professor of Psychiatry
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Background: Team-based services require professionals from multiple disciplines to work together to meet shared goals. Team functioning (i.e., what teams think, feel, and do) influences team performance and clinical outcomes in healthcare settings (Salas et al., 2017). Well-functioning teams are especially critical in times of disaster or crisis when demands are changing rapidly. Team training interventions teach teamwork knowledge and skills (Salas et al., 2008) and positively impact team functioning and organizational and patient outcomes (Hughes et al., 2016; McEwan et al., 2017). Team training can increase professionals’ capacity to work across complex systems, improving the quality of care in multidisciplinary settings and equipping teams to respond effectively to disasters and crises.
Method: We used a collaborative, community-engaged approach to adapt TeamSTEPPS, an evidence-based team training for healthcare (AHRQ, 2019), for Child Advocacy Center (CAC) teams. CACs use multidisciplinary teams to provide coordinated interagency responses to child abuse allegations. We used the Framework for Reporting Adaptations and Modifications-Enhanced (Stirman et al., 2019) to characterize and document modifications. The adapted training was piloted with one CAC team and evaluated using mixed methods, including pre- and post-training surveys and qualitative interviews. The study occurred during the COVID-19 pandemic (Sept 2020-Nov 2021).
Results: The adaptation process produced TeamTRACS (Team Training in Roles, Awareness, Communication, and Support). Community members were highly engaged in the adaptation process and rated the community-academic partnership positively (average ratings >4.2/5). On 1-5 scales, pilot participants rated TeamTRACS as highly acceptable (M = 4.1), appropriate (M = 4.2), feasible (M = 4.2), relevant (M = 4.6), and useful (M = 4.6) for CAC teams. They identified ideas for improvement (e.g., more structured follow-up) and future uses for TeamTRACS (e.g., with students or new professionals in related fields).
Conclusions: TeamTRACS is a feasible approach to team training in multidisciplinary, cross-organizational teams, and team members find the content and skills relevant and useful. Additional research is needed to test its effectiveness and identify effective implementation strategies. Improving teamwork skills may increase multidisciplinary professionals’ capacity to maintain essential services, meet new needs, and adapt to changing demands during disasters and crises.