EMT Basic · Chapter 9 · Review · Chapter track
The Team Approach to Health Care
Referencing the content of EMT-Basic training and emergency patient care
Learning objectives (9)
Describe decision traps that can lead to decision-making errors — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
- TeamSTEPPS · AHRQ
- EMS.gov quality and safety · NHTSA
Describe the steps EMTs can take to troubleshoot interpersonal conflicts — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
- TeamSTEPPS · AHRQ
- EMS.gov quality and safety · NHTSA
Explain how crew resource management (CRM) can be useful in the prehospital environment — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
- TeamSTEPPS · AHRQ
- EMS.gov quality and safety · NHTSA
Explain the advantages of a team over a group; include the advantages of regularly training and practicing together — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
- TeamSTEPPS · AHRQ
- EMS.gov quality and safety · NHTSA
Explain the stages of effective decision making — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
- TeamSTEPPS · AHRQ
- EMS.gov quality and safety · NHTSA
List the five critical elements necessary to ensure effective transfer of patient care from one provider to another — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
- TeamSTEPPS · AHRQ
- EMS.gov quality and safety · NHTSA
List the five essential elements of a group — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
- TeamSTEPPS · AHRQ
- EMS.gov quality and safety · NHTSA
List the five essential elements of a team — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
- TeamSTEPPS · AHRQ
- EMS.gov quality and safety · NHTSA
List the five steps a receiving health care provider should perform when taking a patient care report (PCR) — Knowledge/skills objective (printed page 319); confirm wording in your course copy.
- TeamSTEPPS · AHRQ
- EMS.gov quality and safety · NHTSA
Chapter web resources
Optional reading from authoritative sites. Your textbook remains the primary source for this course.
- TeamSTEPPS · AHRQ
Team communication in health care
- EMS.gov quality and safety · NHTSA
Crew resource management context
When sources disagree (5 topics to verify before you teach from this chapter alone)
Showing Chapter track material. Switch tracks on the chapter page.
Vocabulary · 10
Closed-loop communication
A communication pattern in which the receiver repeats the message back so the sender can confirm it was understood correctly.
SourceAHRQ TeamSTEPPS — Closed-loop communication
Crew Resource Management (CRM)
A set of team-coordination principles — originating in aviation — that emphasize communication, situational awareness, and assertiveness to reduce errors.
SourceAHRQ TeamSTEPPS — Origins — CRM
SBAR
A structured handoff mnemonic — Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation — used to communicate patient status between providers.
SourceAHRQ TeamSTEPPS — SBAR communication
Handoff (handover)
The structured transfer of patient information and responsibility from one provider or team to another.
SourceThe Joint Commission — Hand-off communications
Span of control
The number of subordinates or resources that one supervisor can effectively manage — typically 3 to 7 in EMS incident operations.
SourceFEMA / NIMS doctrine — Span of control
Chain of command
The formal line of authority — who reports to whom — that defines decision-making structure within an EMS agency or incident.
SourceFEMA / NIMS doctrine — Chain of command
Speaking-up culture
A team environment in which any member feels safe to raise concerns about safety or care without fear of retribution.
SourceAHRQ TeamSTEPPS — Mutual support — speaking up
Interdisciplinary team
A group of providers from different specialties — paramedics, nurses, physicians, social workers — working together on patient care.
SourceThe Joint Commission — Interdisciplinary care
Quality improvement (QI)
A systematic process of reviewing performance data and making changes to improve patient outcomes and safety.
SourceAHRQ — Quality improvement
Active listening
Communication technique in which the listener focuses fully, reflects content, and clarifies meaning rather than preparing a response.
SourceAHRQ TeamSTEPPS — Active listening
Sequences · 2
- SBAR patient handoff — Order the four sections of an SBAR handoff to the receiving team.
- Closed-loop communication cycle — Order the steps that close a single communication loop.