PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - James K Stoller
AU  - Madhu Sasidhar
AU  - David M Wheeler
AU  - Robert L Chatburn
AU  - Roy T Bivens
AU  - Dave Priganc
AU  - Douglas K Orens
TI  - Team-Building and Change Management in Respiratory Care: Description of a Process and Outcomes
DP  - 2010 Jun 01
TA  - Respiratory Care
PG  - 741--748
VI  - 55
IP  - 6
4099  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/55/6/741.short
4100  - http://rc.rcjournal.com/content/55/6/741.full
AB  - BACKGROUND: Teamwork promotes enhanced outcomes in various business sectors but can be hampered when there are organizational “silos.” This study describes an intervention that fostered teamwork among 4 separate respiratory therapy (RT) departments within a single hospital. METHODS: An initial retreat of leaders of the 4 RT groups indicated a common goal of developing a scorecard by which RT outcomes could be followed and improved. Developing this scorecard involved a business review process that comprised 7 facilitated meetings, in which the 4 RT groups developed metrics and targets for RT outcomes in 4 categories: quality/innovation; service; productivity; and employee engagement. RESULTS: The process of developing the scorecard prompted improvements in the quality of RT care (eg, enhanced cross-staffing, low respiratory therapist turnover). A welcome impact of the business review process was enhanced collaboration and teamwork among the 4 RT groups, as manifested by sharing of educational resources, developing a cross-departmental float pool, and forming a process and group to standardize RT care across all groups. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this business review process show that teamwork among 4 separate RT departments improved and that enhanced outcomes were achieved. Based on this experience, we recommend consideration of this business review process as a team-building activity that can confer demonstrable clinical benefits.