Effectiveness of a Proficiency-based Progression Communication Training Programme

Breakdown in communication between healthcare workers leads to significant patient harm on a daily basis, worldwide. The "safety huddle" is being introduced internationally as a means of overcoming this problem. The "safety huddle" is where healthcare workers of all types gather for a 15-minute meeting to voice and address safety concerns for their patients. The safety of the patients depends on how well people communicate with each other at the "safety huddle". As communication skills vary, the research team plans to devise a team training course for healthcare workers of all types that ensures a standard is reached which is as good as teams we know perform well. The research team plans to introduce this training programme to one ward in two different hospitals with the aim of reducing patient harm. The team will compare rates of harm using a method that has been used around the world and involves looking back through some patients' notes for certain clues. The team will do this by choosing notes at random for a 6-month period before the training and again for a 6 month period after the training. The researchers will then see if levels of harm have improved or not with the team training. The researchers will also measure how well the teams conduct the "safety huddle" and if they felt that in general there was more safety awareness on the ward.