Evaluation study of a resource for developing education, audit and teamwork in primary care

An evaluation of the views of primary health care team members participating in an intervention programme of a Resource for Education, Audit and Teamworking (CREATE) is presented. The pilot CREATE programme comprised of a series of nine educational and team building workshops delivered in protected time to all clinical and administrative staff in seven general practices in one Health Board locality, within a 12-month period. The content of the programme was developed in response to an educational needs assessment undertaken by the CREATE steering group. The purpose of the evaluation study was to identify if the CREATE programme altered participants’ views of teamwork, education and audit, and to ascertain the suitability of the CREATE programme for more extensive implementation in Scotland.The evaluation study utilized a combination of quantitative and qualitative survey methods. Quantitative questionnaires devised specifically as evaluation tools for the project were manually distributed and collected at the first and last CREATE workshops to all participants present on each occasion. Following the first and last CREATE workshop, key informants from each practice subsequently participated in qualitative, indepth interviews.The combined results of the quantitative and qualitative analyses reveal that the CREATE project is highly valued by the majority of primary health care team members who participated in the programme, particularly clinical staff but to lesser extent administrative staff. The findings indicate that a relatively simple but inclusive programme delivering appropriate education to primary care teams within protected time is able to overcome barriers to teamwork and has led to staff developing improved quality of health care services. Areas where teamwork and quality improvement were perceived as developing most significantly included: developing objectives, meeting as a practice and communication so people were more involved in discussions and decision-making. As a result of the findings from the pilot, the key elements of CREATE are being replicated elsewhere in Scotland.