TeamBaby - Safe, Digitally Supported Communication in Obstetrics and Gynecology (TeamBaby)
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03855735 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : February 27, 2019
Last Update Posted : March 14, 2023
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The purpose of this project with obstetric healthcare workers, pregnant women and their relatives is to improve communication between all parties involved in order to increase sustainable patient safety. To this end, clinical staff, expectant mothers and their partners as well as relatives will be trained in personal sessions and through digital interventions. The aim is to improve their ability to communicate more confidently with each other. In addition, an app will be developed to support all participants in their communication with each other and in overcoming difficulties in everyday hospital life. The project contributes to reduce the frequency of preventable adverse events (pAEs) in gynecology and obstetrics and to increase patients' satisfaction with their treatment. Data will be collected in three study phases:
- Implementation phase - Training for obstetric healthcare workers at two German university hospitals which will be developed and implemented based on observations, interviews, and focus groups and pre-experimental study with pre/post-test (questionnaires for participants, interviews). To evaluate patient safety, an analysis of hospital data will be conducted incl. retrospective cohort study;
- Effectiveness study with randomized controlled study design (questionnaires and interviews). In the intervention group, pregnant women and their relatives will be trained in safe communication;
- Implementation of an app (evaluated via questionnaires, observations, interviews, focus groups). Women who receive the training via the app will be compared to the historical control group as case-control study (questionnaires, interviews, analysis of hospital data).
Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
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Pregnancy Related | Behavioral: TeamBaby Online Communication Training (IG1) and TeamBaby Web-App Communication Training (IG2) | Not Applicable |

Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 424 participants |
Allocation: | Randomized |
Intervention Model: | Parallel Assignment |
Intervention Model Description: | Parallel design for Phase 2 and sequential design in Phase 3 |
Masking: | Double (Care Provider, Investigator) |
Primary Purpose: | Prevention |
Official Title: | "Sufficiency, Accuracy, Clarity, Contextualization, and Interpersonal Adaptation - Safe, Digitally Supported Communication in Gynecology and Obstetrics: TeamBaby" |
Actual Study Start Date : | September 2, 2019 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | March 30, 2023 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | September 30, 2024 |
Arm | Intervention/treatment |
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Experimental: TeamBaby Online Training Intervention Group Phase 2 (IG1)
Those who give birth and relatives who have been arbitrarily assigned to the intervention group receive an interactive online training on different communication models and competencies (Phase 2).
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Behavioral: TeamBaby Online Communication Training (IG1) and TeamBaby Web-App Communication Training (IG2)
The developed short manual for the teaching of different communication models competences will enable those who have been arbitrarily assigned to the intervention group and their relatives to develop secure communication competences (Phase 2). In Phase 3, the intervention group will have access to the digital app. |
No Intervention: No Intervention
Those who give birth and relatives who have been arbitrarily assigned to the control group do not receive any training on different communication models competencies and will not gain access to the digital app prior to giving birth.
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Experimental: TeamBaby App Training Intervention Group Phase 3 (IG2)
Those who give birth and relatives who have been arbitrarily assigned to the intervention group will gain access to the digital app and receive a communication training via the app (Phase 3).
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Behavioral: TeamBaby Online Communication Training (IG1) and TeamBaby Web-App Communication Training (IG2)
The developed short manual for the teaching of different communication models competences will enable those who have been arbitrarily assigned to the intervention group and their relatives to develop secure communication competences (Phase 2). In Phase 3, the intervention group will have access to the digital app. |
- Core competencies and preventable adverse events - specialists [ Time Frame: 16 Months ]The core competencies of all specialists will improve measurably. Furthermore, the number of preventable adverse events (pAEs) and their associated costs should be significantly changed over time.
- Core competencies surrounding communication - patients and relatives [ Time Frame: 16 Months ]It is expected that patients/accompanying persons in the intervention group will (1) measurably improve their communication competencies with skilled employees after the intervention compared to those giving birth/accompanying persons in the control group, and (2) a higher expectation of self-efficacy in communication with skilled employees will arise. In addition, it is expected that (3) the number and severity of preventable adverse events (pAEs) in the intervention group will be measurably reduced compared to the number and severity of preventable adverse events in the control group.
- Usability and effectiveness of the digital communication app [ Time Frame: 16 Months ]The use of a digital communication app will lead to a significantly changed number, severity and cost of preventable adverse events (pAEs) in the intervention group compared to the intervention group without an app.
- Proximal outcomes to the online training [ Time Frame: 16 months ]outcome expectancy, intentions, action and coping plans, behavior, self-efficacy, patient satisfaction, employee satisfaction
- Covariables of the training and preventable adverse events (pAEs) [ Time Frame: 16 months ]barriers and resources

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Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | Yes |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Expectant mother or patient in gynecology and obstetrics or social support providers (spouse/partner, relative, close friend) to be recipient of the training
- Professional in a gynecology and obstetrics hospital to be trainer of the patients and the social support providers
- Aged 18 years and above
- Healthy volunteers
- Declaration of consent for participation in the study
Exclusion Criteria:
- Not proficient in the German language and/ or does not have the capability of writing
- Severe cognitive deficits (unable to read/write/answer questions) and impairments due to diagnosed brain injuries, neurological disorders, etc.
- Insufficient corrected eyesight (patients must be able to read on the cell phone)
- Participation in another research study or intervention trial conducted in the clinic
- Younger than 18 years
- High risk, emergency case
- Withdraw of consent for participation in the study at any point in time

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT03855735
Contact: Sonia Lippke, Prof. Dr. | +49 421 200-4730 | s.lippke@jacobs-university.de | |
Contact: Christina Derksen | +49 421 200-4732 | teambaby@jacobs-university.de |
Germany | |
Universitaetsklinikum Ulm; Klinik fuer Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe | Recruiting |
Ulm, Baden-Württemberg, Germany, 89075 | |
Contact: Frank Reister, MD Frank.Reister@uniklinik-ulm.de | |
Universitätsklinikum Frankfurt; Klinik für Frauenheilkunde und Geburtshilfe | Recruiting |
Frankfurt, Germany | |
Contact: Frank Louwen, MD louwen@em.uni-frankfurt.de |
Principal Investigator: | Sonia Lippke, Prof. Dr. | Jacobs University Bremen, Germany |
Documents provided by Prof. Dr. Sonia Lippke, Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH:
Publications of Results:
Other Publications:
Publications automatically indexed to this study by ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier (NCT Number):
Responsible Party: | Prof. Dr. Sonia Lippke, Principal Investigator and Professor of Health Psychology & Behavioral Medicine, Jacobs University Bremen gGmbH |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03855735 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
01VSF18023 ( Other Grant/Funding Number: The Federal Joint Committee (G-BA) ) |
First Posted: | February 27, 2019 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | March 14, 2023 |
Last Verified: | March 2023 |
Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement: | |
Plan to Share IPD: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Preventable adverse events Patient safety Core communication competences Different communication models HAPA |
Participatory intervention development Digitization App eHealth Health services research |