Quality Improvement: Evaluation of Team Communication Openness in Specialty and Emergency Veterinarians Who Regularly Use Communication Tools.

Frequent use of structured communication tools is significantly associated with greater team communication openness in specialty veterinary practice.

This cross-sectional survey study evaluated the awareness and use of structured communication tools among specialty and emergency veterinary practitioners, and assessed whether regular use of these tools was associated with greater team communication openness. A total of 247 responses were collected from members of three veterinary specialty colleges (ACVS, ACVIM, and ACVECC). The majority of respondents (85.9%) were unfamiliar with TeamSTEPPS by name, and fewer than one-third had undergone formal teamwork and communication training. However, when communication tools were described rather than named, many respondents reported using analogous techniques regularly. The most frequently used tools included the call out, SBAR (Situation-Background-Assessment-Response), and handoff communications. Debriefs and huddles were least commonly used at regular intervals, while check backs and briefs showed variable frequency. Multivariable ordinal logistic regression revealed that frequent use of structured communication tools was significantly associated with greater self-reported team communication openness. These findings suggest that while formal TeamSTEPPS training is rare in veterinary specialty and emergency settings, many practitioners have independently adopted similar communication strategies. Increasing structured communication tool adoption—potentially through formal training programs adapted from human medicine—may enhance team dynamics, reduce medical errors, and ultimately improve patient safety in veterinary specialty and emergency care environments.

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