Validity and reliability of the Teamwork Evaluation of Non-Technical Skills tool

Abstract

Background: TENTS (Teamwork Evaluation of Non-Technical Skills) is a valuable team performance, 13 item observational assessment tool that has been used in clinical settings, but validity and reliability have not been tested.

Objective: This study conducted validity and reliability tests on the TENTS observation tool.

Method: This study used a convenience sample of 109 teamwork event observations conducted in an academic medical center in the United States of America (USA). Five different events were observed; new admissions, transfers to and from other units, rapid response team events, morning rounds, and medical procedures. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were conducted and the Cronbach’s alpha coefficients of the inventory were obtained.

Result: The EFA results indicated the TENTS tool consisted of three factors; communication, leadership, and crossmonitoring. These three factors accounted for 46.30% of the total variance and their internal consistencies (Cronbach’s α) were .71–.79 (.88 overall).

Conclusion: TENTS is a valid and reliable instrument for observing a variety of clinical teamwork events. EFA and CFA demonstrated that the tool is well-aligned with long-standing essential teamwork components described in the literature and in the TeamSTEPPS™ system.