Trial Outcomes & Findings for TeamSTEPPS in School Mental Health (NCT NCT04440228)

Last Updated: 2025-11-12

Results Overview

Reliable and validated 4-item tool to assess perceptions of the feasibility of an intervention (in this case, TeamSTEPPS training). Each item may be scored 1 = "completely disagree", 2 = "disagree", 3 = "neither agree nor disagree", 4 = "agree", or 5 = "completely agree." An overall mean score (possible score range from 1 to 5) across the 4 items is computed, where higher scores indicate more positive perceptions of intervention feasibility.

Recruitment status

COMPLETED

Study phase

Target enrollment

90 participants

Primary outcome timeframe

assessed immediately post-training in TeamSTEPPS (on average, 4 hours after completion of baseline measures)

Results posted on

2025-11-12

Participant Flow

Participants were school staff recruited from school mental health teams working across three school districts.

Participants were existing employees working across three partner school districts. There was no randomization or assignment to study arms/conditions, though because participants naturally existed within the three districts, we report some analyses by district unit. All participants across all districts received the same intervention (i.e., TeamSTEPPS training).

Unit of analysis: School Districts

Participant milestones

Participant milestones
Measure	Schools Implementing TeamSTEPPS We conducted a quasi-experimental, single-arm pilot study of an adapted TeamSTEPPS curriculum for school mental health team members. Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), has been widely disseminated in health care settings with promising outcomes. TeamSTEPPS is designed to build competencies in the areas of leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication and has been associated with improvements in teamwork and communication as well as patient outcomes, such as decreased seclusion in psychiatric hospitals. All participants, who were employees working across three partner school districts, completed training in TeamSTEPPS, the primary intervention.
Overall Study STARTED	90 3
Overall Study COMPLETED	66 3
Overall Study NOT COMPLETED	24 0

Reasons for withdrawal

Withdrawal data not reported

Baseline Characteristics

Data was missing for one participant

Baseline characteristics by cohort

Baseline characteristics by cohort
Measure	Schools Implementing TeamSTEPPS n=90 Participants We conducted a quasi-experimental, single-arm pilot study of an adapted TeamSTEPPS curriculum for school mental health team members. Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS) is designed to build competencies in the areas of leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication and has been associated with improvements in teamwork and communication as well as patient outcomes, such as decreased seclusion in psychiatric hospitals. All participants across all school districts received training in TeamSTEPPS which is the primary intervention in this trial.
Age, Continuous	38.73 years STANDARD_DEVIATION 9.41 • n=89 Participants • Data was missing for one participant
Sex: Female, Male Female	70 Participants n=88 Participants • Data were missing for two participants
Sex: Female, Male Male	18 Participants n=88 Participants • Data were missing for two participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Hispanic or Latino	4 Participants n=90 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Not Hispanic or Latino	84 Participants n=90 Participants
Ethnicity (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported	2 Participants n=90 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) American Indian or Alaska Native	0 Participants n=90 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) Asian	0 Participants n=90 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander	0 Participants n=90 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) Black or African American	15 Participants n=90 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) White	70 Participants n=90 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) More than one race	1 Participants n=90 Participants
Race (NIH/OMB) Unknown or Not Reported	4 Participants n=90 Participants

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: assessed immediately post-training in TeamSTEPPS (on average, 4 hours after completion of baseline measures)

Population: Staff that completed TeamSTEPPS training

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Schools Implementing TeamSTEPPS n=74 Participants We conducted a quasi-experimental, single-arm pilot study of an adapted TeamSTEPPS curriculum for school mental health team members. Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), has been widely disseminated in health care settings with promising outcomes. TeamSTEPPS is designed to build competencies in the areas of leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication and has been associated with improvements in teamwork and communication as well as patient outcomes, such as decreased seclusion in psychiatric hospitals.
Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM)	4.25 score on a scale Standard Deviation 0.57

PRIMARY outcome

Timeframe: assessed immediately post-training in TeamSTEPPS (on average, 4 hours after completion of baseline measures)

Population: Staff that completed TeamSTEPPS training

Reliable and validated 4-item observational tool to assess perceptions of the acceptability of an intervention (in this case, TeamSTEPPS training). Each item may be scored 1 = "completely disagree", 2 = "disagree", 3 = "neither agree nor disagree", 4 = "agree", or 5 = "completely agree." An overall mean score (possible score range from 1 to 5) across the 4 items is computed, where higher scores indicate greater perceptions of intervention acceptability.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Schools Implementing TeamSTEPPS n=74 Participants We conducted a quasi-experimental, single-arm pilot study of an adapted TeamSTEPPS curriculum for school mental health team members. Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), has been widely disseminated in health care settings with promising outcomes. TeamSTEPPS is designed to build competencies in the areas of leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication and has been associated with improvements in teamwork and communication as well as patient outcomes, such as decreased seclusion in psychiatric hospitals.
Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM)	4.28 score on a scale Standard Deviation .68

SECONDARY outcome

Timeframe: Assessed at baseline (i.e., on average, 1 week prior to training in TeamSTEPPS), immediately post-training in TeamSTEPPS (on average, 1 week after completion of baseline observation), and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups.

Population: Staff trained in TeamSTEPPS, observed in district teams. When multiple observations occurred by multiple raters at a time point, we computed mean (SD) ratings across raters.

Validated 4-item observational tool to assess teamwork and cognitive skills in teams. Items reflect team skills in leadership and management; teamwork and cooperation; problem-solving and decision making; and situational awareness. An observer codes team behavior in each domain using 3-5 items rated from 1 (Below Standard) to 4 (Excellent). An overall mean score, ranging from 1 to 4, is computed across items, where higher scores indicate stronger teamwork skills.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Schools Implementing TeamSTEPPS n=3 School Districts We conducted a quasi-experimental, single-arm pilot study of an adapted TeamSTEPPS curriculum for school mental health team members. Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), has been widely disseminated in health care settings with promising outcomes. TeamSTEPPS is designed to build competencies in the areas of leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication and has been associated with improvements in teamwork and communication as well as patient outcomes, such as decreased seclusion in psychiatric hospitals.
Oxford Non-Technical Skills (NOTECHS) Scale Baseline	2.40 units on a scale Standard Deviation 0.33
Oxford Non-Technical Skills (NOTECHS) Scale Post-training	3.33 units on a scale Standard Deviation 0.13
Oxford Non-Technical Skills (NOTECHS) Scale 6 month follow-up	3.38 units on a scale Standard Deviation 0.52
Oxford Non-Technical Skills (NOTECHS) Scale 12 month follow-up	2.88 units on a scale Standard Deviation 1.11

OTHER_PRE_SPECIFIED outcome

Timeframe: Assessed at baseline (i.e., pre-training in TeamSTEPPS) and and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Six- and 12-month follow-up scores were averaged to create a single follow-up score.

Population: Staff that completed TeamSTEPPS training

59-item tool to assess perceptions of aspects of collaboration between school professionals and mental health professionals from collaborating agencies on a continuous scale. An average score is calculated, with higher scores indicating strengths and lower scores indicating areas to consider improving or targeting. Responses for all items on the scale are measured on one of two, four-point Likert-type scales (1 = never to 4 = often for items related to Types of Collaboration; and 1 = strongly disagree to 4 = strongly agree for items related to Influences on Collaboration and Perceived Benefits of Collaboration). A mean total score is computed, with possible scores ranging from 1 to 4, with higher scores indicating stronger collaboration.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Schools Implementing TeamSTEPPS n=51 Participants We conducted a quasi-experimental, single-arm pilot study of an adapted TeamSTEPPS curriculum for school mental health team members. Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), has been widely disseminated in health care settings with promising outcomes. TeamSTEPPS is designed to build competencies in the areas of leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication and has been associated with improvements in teamwork and communication as well as patient outcomes, such as decreased seclusion in psychiatric hospitals.
Expanded School Mental Health Collaboration Instrument (ESMHCI) Baseline	2.83 score on a scale Standard Deviation 0.54
Expanded School Mental Health Collaboration Instrument (ESMHCI) Follow-up	3.01 score on a scale Standard Deviation 0.57

OTHER_PRE_SPECIFIED outcome

Timeframe: Assessed at baseline (i.e., pre-training in TeamSTEPPS) and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Six- and 12-month follow-up scores were averaged to create a single follow-up score.

Population: Staff that completed TeamSTEPPS training

Self-report measure of individual perceptions of group-level team skills and behavior. It is based upon the five core components of teamwork that comprise TeamSTEPPS, totaling 35 items. Items are rated continuously on a five-point scale from strongly disagree = 1 to strongly agree = 5. A mean total score is computed by averaging all items (possible score range = 1 to 5). Higher scores indicate more favorable perceptions of teamwork.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Schools Implementing TeamSTEPPS n=57 Participants We conducted a quasi-experimental, single-arm pilot study of an adapted TeamSTEPPS curriculum for school mental health team members. Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), has been widely disseminated in health care settings with promising outcomes. TeamSTEPPS is designed to build competencies in the areas of leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication and has been associated with improvements in teamwork and communication as well as patient outcomes, such as decreased seclusion in psychiatric hospitals.
TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire (T-TPQ) Baseline	3.77 score on a scale Standard Deviation 0.51
TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Perceptions Questionnaire (T-TPQ) Follow-Up	3.76 score on a scale Standard Deviation .55

OTHER_PRE_SPECIFIED outcome

Timeframe: Assessed at baseline (i.e., pre-training in TeamSTEPPS) and at 6- and 12-month follow-ups. Six- and 12-month follow-up scores were averaged to create a single follow-up score.

Population: Staff that completed TeamSTEPPS training

Self-report measure of individual attitudes related to the core components of teamwork captured within TeamSTEPPS. Six items measure each of the core teamwork constructs, for a total of 30 items. Items are rated continuously on a five-point scale from strongly disagree = 1 to strongly agree = 5. A mean total score is calculated across items with a possible score range of 1 to 5. Higher scores indicated more positive attitudes toward teamwork.

Outcome measures

Outcome measures
Measure	Schools Implementing TeamSTEPPS n=57 Participants We conducted a quasi-experimental, single-arm pilot study of an adapted TeamSTEPPS curriculum for school mental health team members. Team Strategies and Tools to Enhance Performance and Patient Safety (TeamSTEPPS), has been widely disseminated in health care settings with promising outcomes. TeamSTEPPS is designed to build competencies in the areas of leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support, and communication and has been associated with improvements in teamwork and communication as well as patient outcomes, such as decreased seclusion in psychiatric hospitals.
TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire (T-TAQ) Baseline	4.43 score on a scale Standard Deviation 0.31
TeamSTEPPS Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire (T-TAQ) Follow-up	4.42 score on a scale Standard Deviation 0.29

Adverse Events

Schools Implementing TeamSTEPPS

Serious events: 0 serious events

Other events: 0 other events

Deaths: 0 deaths

Serious adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Other adverse events

Adverse event data not reported

Additional Information

Dr. Courtney Wolk

University of Pennsylvania

Phone: 215-746-6099

Email: [email protected]

Results disclosure agreements

Principal investigator is a sponsor employee
Publication restrictions are in place