Overview

NetworkZ is a major quality initiative aimed at improving patient outcomes. The programme has been rolled out across New Zealand hospitals and focuses on providing effective and innovative team training. Findings from the team training are used to develop knowledge and implement future safety interventions. NetworkZ research aims to ensure the programme continues to be robust and effective.

Evaluation to date

research

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development

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current evaluation

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Each training session is followed by a debrief, where participants can reflect on the events, expose assumptions and communication issues, and identify good practice points and opportunities to improve processes and systems. The data gathered through these debriefs and ongoing evaluation helps us assess whether NetworkZ leads to:

  • Improved patient outcomes
  • Improved teamwork and communication
  • Improvements in safety and culture of hospital departments.
  • Identification and management of latent safety threats.

It also helps us identify the organisational and cultural factors that determine successful (or unsuccessful) implementation.

Our research takes a mixed methods approach. It includes a suite of outcomes measures with quantitative outcomes from existing databases and qualitative outcomes on processes relevant to the intervention.

Key Publications

The evidence to support teamwork training for healthcare teams, as outlined in these publications, is strong, but team training has not been systematically implemented at a national level until NetworkZ.

The nationwide NetworkZ training programme is an international first and world leader in changing culture and practices in the preoperative setting and emergency departments. We have gathered comprehensive data on the programme’s implementation since its inception. This has been used to evaluate training effectiveness and inform our ongoing academic research. Click below to see the evidence.

" UniServices is very proud of the work NetworkZ does; better team communication and cohesion means better outcomes for the most vulnerable patients in our health systems care. ”

- Andy Shenk, CEO UniServices

Our Academic partners work in parallel with UniServices and the University of Auckland.

Meet our Academic Partners

Professor Jenny Weller

General Manager

Jenny is the Academic lead for NetworkZ. Jenny is also the Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, Programme Director Clinical Education, Chair of the School of Medicine Board of Research, and member of the Medical Programme.

Carlos Campos

Research Fellow

Carlos has a PhD in health education, focusing on communication interaction between patients and physicians. Carlos manages research projects related to patient safety, teamwork, and communication.