Simple budget-neutral tool to improve intraoperative communication
- 1 November 2020
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Oxford University Press (OUP) in Postgraduate Medical Journal
- Vol. 96 (1141), 703-705
- https://doi.org/10.1136/postgradmedj-2020-137492
Abstract
Background Communication failure is a common cause of medical errors and adverse events. Within the operating room (OR), there are many barriers to good communication, which can adversely affect patient outcome. Objective Implementing a simple, cost-neutral tool aimed at improving intraoperative communication and engagement. Methods Three anaesthesiology residents collected data using a data sheet and tailored surveys distributed to OR staff. Data were collected over a 2-week period in 2019, with 1 week each of preintervention and postintervention data collection. The intervention consisted of wearing OR caps displaying the first name and role of the anaesthesia resident clearly on the front. Results A total of 20 data sheets and 48 preintervention and postintervention surveys were collected for a response rate of 57%. There was a statistically significant increase in OR staff knowledge of the anaesthesia resident's name (66% vs 100%, p=<0.001), an increase in the mean number of times the surgical providers addressed the anaesthesia residents (3.6 vs 7.8, p=0.0074) and an increase in the mean number of times the surgical providers addressed them by their first name (0.7 vs 4, p=0.0067). Comments received during the intervention were positive with overwhelming support. Conclusions This study demonstrated that a simple, cost-effective intervention can result in dramatic improvement in intraoperative communication and engagement between teams.Keywords
This publication has 6 references indexed in Scilit:
- Introductions During Time-outs: Do Surgical Team Members Know One Another's Names?The Joint Commission Journal on Quality and Patient Safety, 2017
- The cognitive advantage for one’s own name is not simply familiarity: An eye-tracking studyPsychonomic Bulletin & Review, 2013
- Retrieving Personal Names, Referring Expressions, and Terms of AddressPublished by Elsevier BV ,2010
- A Surgical Safety Checklist to Reduce Morbidity and Mortality in a Global PopulationNew England Journal of Medicine, 2009
- Communication failures in the operating room: an observational classification of recurrent types and effectsQuality and Safety in Health Care, 2004
- Processing of unattended visual informationMemory & Cognition, 1980