SURGICAL
TEAM
COMMUNICATION
www.perspect.ca
November
26,
2008
Communica>on
Defini>on:
‐
a
process
by
which
informa>on
is
exchanged
between
individuals
through
a
common
system
of
symbols,
signs,
or
behavior
Outline
Importance
of
effec>ve
communica>on
in
surgical
teams
Current
piPalls
in
OR
communica>on
New
communica>on
tools
SBAR
OR
briefings
Medical
team
training
Implementa>on
Preventable
medical
errors
Ins>tute
of
Medicine’s
1999
report
“To
Err
is
Human”
preventable
medical
errors
result
in:
44,000‐98,000
deaths/year
in
US
hospitals
Primary
root
cause
analysis
of
sen>nel
events
delay
in
treatment
wrong
site
surgery
66%
‐
failure
in
communica>on
ven>lator‐related
deaths
and
injuries
>
50%
‐
breakdown
in
communica>on
between
surgical
team
members
and
the
pa>ent
and
family
opera>ve
and
post‐op
complica>ons
84%
‐
breakdown
in
communica>on
70%
‐
communica>on
breakdown
infant
death
and
injury
during
delivery
72%
involved
communica>on
issues
(with
55
percent
ci>ng
organiza>on
culture
as
a
barrier
to
effec>ve
communica>on
and
teamwork)
Joint
Commission
on
Accredita0on
of
Healthcare
Organiza0ons.
Sen$nel
event
sta$s$cs:
Available
online
from,
hdp://www.jointcomission.ort/Sen>nelEvents/Sen>nelEventAlert/
Teamwork
in
the
OR
posi>ve
aftudes
towards
teamwork
reduced
errors
in
avia>on
and
ICUs
increased
job
sa>sfac>on
less
sick
>me
used
by
employees
decreased
employee
turnover
Teamwork
in
the
OR
Makary
et
al.,
J
AM
Coll
Surg,
2006
surveyed
OR
personnel
regarding
aftudes
toward
teamwork
and
collabora>on
60
hospitals
involved
2769
ques>onnaires
77.1%
response
rate
Makary
MA,
Sexton
JB,
Freischlag
JA,
Holzmueller
CG,
Millman
EA,
Rowen
L,
Pronovost
PJ.
Opera>ng
Room
Teamwork
among
Physicians
and
Nurses:
Teamwork
in
the
Eye
of
the
Beholder.
J
Am
Coll
Surg
2006;
202:
746‐752
Sample
survey
items
rated
on
a
5‐point
Likert
scale
the
physicians
and
nurses
here
work
together
as
a
well‐
coordinated
team
I
am
frequently
unable
to
express
disagreement
with
the
staff
physicians
here
important
issues
are
well
communicated
at
shij
change
I
am
sa>sfied
with
the
quality
of
collabora>on
I
experience
with
(staff
physicians/nurses)
in
this
clinical
area
92.7, respectively). In fact, surgeons perceived that everyone in the OR is doing a good job in terms of teamwork (Fig. 2). Figures 3A, 3B, and 3C display the contrast between surgeons and nurses, surgeons and anesthesiologists, and anesthesiologists and nurses, respectively, and Figures 4A and 4B demonstrate interposition differences in teamwork among all members of the OR. Such differences underscore the disconnect in teamwork and the methodological barrier in aggregating measures of teamwork in surgery.
with respondents during survey feedback presentations highlighted that nurses often describe good collaboration as having their input respected, and physicians often describe good collaboration as having nurses who anticipate their needs and follow instructions. Historically, there are differences between the expectations that physicians and nurses bring to a communication encounter. Nurses are trained to communicate more holistically, using the “story” of the patient, and physicians are trained to communicate succinctly using the “head-
Table 2. ANOVA Results for Teamwork Ratings by and of Each Operating Room Provider Type Ratings of
Surgeons Anesthesiologists CRNAs OR nurses Surgical technicians
df
F
p Value
Surgeons
4, 2058 4, 1990 4, 1571 4, 2061 4, 2044
41.73 53.15 37.36 12.93 6.17
! 0.001 ! 0.001 ! 0.001 ! 0.001 ! 0.001
4.38 4.39 4.37 4.42 4.36
Mean ratings* of teamwork by Anesthesiologists CRNAs
*1 # very low; 5 # very high. † Scrub and circulating. CRNAs, certified registered nurse anesthetists; df, degrees of freedom; OR, operating room.
4.03 4.80 4.58 4.31 4.17
3.72 4.25 4.67 4.10 3.95
OR nurses†
Overall
3.52 3.85 3.94 4.25 4.07
3.68 3.96 4.04 4.20 4.10
!
Percentage
(rounded)
of
opera>ng
room
(OR)
caregivers
repor>ng
a
“high”
or
“very
high”
level
of
collabora>on
with
other
members
of
the
OR
team.
Barriers
to
effec>ve
team
communica>on
in
the
OR
OR
sefng
masks
noise
hierarchical
structure
work
overload
distrac>ng
communica>on
communica>on
plan
accountability
Types
of
Communica>on
Failures
Occasion
occurred
too
late
Content
inaccurate
or
incomplete
Audience
significant
individuals
excluded
Purpose
issues
lej
unresolved
Lingard
L,
Espin
S,
Whyte
S,
Regehr
G,
Baker
GR,
Reznick
R,
Bohnen
J,
Orser
B,
Doran
D,
Grober
E.
Communica>on
Failures
in
the
Opera>ng
Room:
an
observa>onal
classifica>on
of
recurrent
types
and
effects.
Qual
Saf
Health
Care
2004;
13:
330‐334
Communica>on
failures
(cont’d)
31%
of
communica>on
events
fail
usually
due
to
>ming
or
content
one‐third
result
in
immediate
effects
delay
inefficiency
team
tension
May
lead
to
false
sense
of
security
and
migra>on
into
poten>al
danger
zone
Crew
Resource
Management
history
originated
1979
NASA
research
showed
that
majority
of
avia>on
accidents
were
caused
by
human
error
specifically
failures
of
communica>on,
leadership
and
decision‐making
CRM
Training
encompasses
knowledge,
skills
and
aftudes
includes:
communica>on
leadership
problem‐solving
situa>onal
awareness
decision‐making
teamwork
skills
conflict
resolu>on
CRM
in
Medicine
SBAR
Opera>ng
Room
Briefings
Medical
Team
Training
SITUATION
What
is
going
on
with
the
pa>ent?
BACKGROUND
What
is
the
key
clinical
background
or
context?
ASSESSMENT
What
do
I
think
the
problem
is?
RECOMMENDATION
What
do
I
think
you
should
do
and
when?
SBAR
communica>on
technique
providing
a
framework
for
a
discussion
about
a
pa>ent
uses
a
standardized
format
enhances
clarity
and
efficiency
of
communica>on
Possible
uses
of
SBAR
anesthesia
hand‐offs
crisis
management
reques>ng
a
consult
hand‐overs
at
shij
change
or
for
ward
transfers
nurse‐physician
communica>ons
regarding
pa>ent
status
Example
of
SBAR
Dr.
Jones,
this
is
Nurse
McDonald,
I
am
calling
from
ABC
Hospital
about
your
pa>ent
Jane
Smith.
Situa&on:
Here's
the
situa>on:
Mrs.
Smith
is
having
increasing
dyspnea
and
is
complaining
of
chest
pain.
Background:
The
suppor>ng
background
informa>on
is
that
she
had
a
total
knee
replacement
two
days
ago.
About
two
hours
ago
she
began
complaining
of
chest
pain.
Her
pulse
is
120
and
her
blood
pressure
is
128/54.
She
is
restless
and
short
of
breath.
Assessment:
My
assessment
of
the
situa>on
is
that
she
may
be
having
a
cardiac
event
or
a
pulmonary
embolism.
Recommenda&on:
I
recommend
that
you
see
her
immediately
and
that
we
start
her
on
02
stat.
Opera>ng
Room
Briefings
also
called
a
team
checklist
addresses
safety
issues
by:
decreasing
reliance
on
memory
standardizing
processes
increasing
access
to
informa>on
providing
feedback
Development
and
pilot
implementa>on
of
a
checklist
Lingard
et
al.
2005
developed
own
checklist
studied
its
use
in
18
vascular
surgery
procedures
elicited
feedback
from
par>cipants
Lingard
L,
Espin
S,
Rubin
B,
White
S,
Colmenares
M,
Bager
GR,
Doran
D,
Grober
E,
Orser
B,
Bohnen
J,
Reznick
R.
Gefng
Teams
to
Talk:
development
and
pilot
implementa>on
of
a
checklist
to
promote
interprofessional
communica>on
in
the
OR.
Qual
Saf
Health
Care
2005;
14:
340‐346
Development
and
pilot
implementa>on
of
a
checklist
dura>on
averaged
3.5
minutes
(range
1‐6
min)
>ming
(number
of
checklists
done)
before
pa>ent
arrival
ajer
arrival,
before
induc>on ajer
induc>on
9
5
4
13
4
1
loca>on
in
OR
in
hallway
in
holding
area
Development
and
pilot
implementa>on
of
a
checklist
Pros
not
>me
consuming
or
onerous
increased
nursing
knowledge
of
history
and
plan
improved
OR
efficiency
reduced
equipment
delays
Cons
inconvenient
to
surgeons
interrupted
workflow
if
too
late,
redundant
Study
of
pre‐opera>ve
checklist
to
reduce
communica>on
failures
13
month
prospec>ve
study
#
of
communica>on
failures
pre‐
and
post‐
checklist
interven>on
func>onal
u>lity
of
checklist
Lingard
L,
Regehr
G,
Orser
B,
Reznick
R,
Baker
GR,
Doran
D,
Espin
S,
Bohnen
J,
Whyte
S.
Evalua>on
of
a
Preopera>ve
Checklist
and
Team
Briefing
Among
Surgeons,
Nurses,
and
Anesthesiologists
to
Reduce
Failures
in
Communica>on.
Arch
Surg
2008;
143:
12‐17
Study
of
pre‐opera>ve
checklist
to
reduce
communica>on
failures
observed
302
checklist
briefings
1
–
4
minutes
8%
before
pa>ent
arrival
to
OR
34%
ajer
pa>ent
arrival,
before
induc>on
47%
ajer
induc>on
of
general
anesthesia
(11%
>ming
was
not
documented)
Study
of
pre‐opera>ve
checklist
to
reduce
communica>on
failures
observed
86
each
pre‐
and
post‐
interven>on
procedures
#
of
communica>on
failures
per
procedure
3.95
before
introduc>on
of
checklist
1.31
ajer
introduc>on
of
checklist
P
<
0.001
Func>onal
u>lity
of
checklist
briefings
34%
(100/295)
showed
some
func>onal
u>lity
iden>fied
a
problem
revealed
an
ambiguity
exposed
a
cri>cal
knowledge
gap
provoked
a
change
in
plan
prompted
a
follow‐up
ac>on
44%
had
a
direct
impact
on
pa>ent
care
Implementa>on
BARRIERS
OR
professionals
accustomed
to
independence
“individual
excellence
should
be
sufficient”
overwhelmed
and
may
priori>ze
other
du>es
ASSETS
engaging
team
members
stake‐holder
mee>ngs
surgeon
“champions”
Medical
Team
Training
uses
interdisciplinary
team
training
surgical
teams
work
in
a
high‐stress,
high‐ workload,
>me‐pressured
environment
need
flexible,
open
communica>on
must
an>cipate
other
members’
needs
GOAL:
to
transform
a
team
of
experts
into
an
“expert
team”
Medical
Team
Training
team
training
focuses
on
non‐technical
skills
leadership
decision
making
ability
situa>on
awareness
communica>on
team
skills
coordina>on
vigilance
Approaches
to
Team
Training
CLASSROOM‐BASED
TEACHING
lectures
videos
case‐reviews
problem‐solving
exams
MEDICAL
SIMULATION
high‐fidelity
simulated
OR
prac>ce
new
protocols
in
work
sefng
Approaches
to
Team
Training
CLASSROOM‐BASED
TEACHING
no
expensive
equipment
teach
many
staff
simultaneously
can
update
and
orient
new
staff
as
needed
MEDICAL
SIMULATION
hands‐on
prac>ce
deploy
new
skills
in
complex
environment
enhance
cross‐role
understanding
immediate
feedback
Medical
Team
Training
difficult
to
cause
permanent
change
with
only
a
single
interven>on
people
need
repe>>ve
training
and
prac>ce
to
change
behaviours
workplace
re‐inforcement
is
beneficial
“champions”
of
the
new
behaviours
are
ideal
classroom
teaching
and
medical
simula>on
could
be
used
together
WHO’s
“Safe
Surgery
Saves
Lives”
began
in
January
2007
officially
launched
June
2008
iden>fied
four
areas
requiring
improvement
in
order
to
increase
pa>ent
safety
during
surgery
surgical
site
infec>on
preven>on
safe
anesthesia
safe
surgical
teams
measurement
of
surgical
services
Pilot
evalua>on
of
WHO
“Surgical
Safety
Checklist”
Pilot
evalua>on
of
WHO
“Surgical
Safety
Checklist”
1000
pa>ents
8
sites
worldwide
adherence
to
proven
standards
of
surgical
care
has
increased
from
36%
to
68%
reduced
complica>ons
and
deaths
World
Health
Organiza0on.
Safe
surgery
saves
lives.
Available
online
from,
hdp://www.who.int/ pa>entsafety/safesurgery/tes>ng/pilot_sites/en/index.html
one in 5000 chance of death. With improvements in knowledge and basic standards of care the risk has dropped to one in 200 000 in the developed
Safe
Surgical
Teams
world — a 40-fold improvement. Unfortunately the rate of anaesthesia-associated mortality in developing countries appears to be 100–1000 times higher, indicating a serious, sustained lack of safe anaesthesia for surgery in these settings. • Safe surgical teams: Teamwork is the core of all effectively functioning systems involving multiple people. In the operating room, where tension may be high and lives are at stake, teamwork is an essential component of safe practice. The quality of teamwork depends on the culture of the team and its communication patterns, as well as the clinical skills and situational awareness of the team members. Improving team characteristics should aid communication and reduce patient harm. • Measurement of surgical services: A major problem in surgical safety has been a shortage of basic data. Efforts to reduce maternal and neonatal mortality during childbirth have been critically reliant on routine surveillance of mortality rates and systems of obstetric care to monitor successes and failures. Similar
!
Global
support
and
endorsements
Accredita>on
Canada
American
Academy
of
Orthopaedic
Surgeons/
American
Associa>on
of
Orthopaedic
Surgeons
American
Academy
of
Otolaryngology‐Head
&
Neck
surgery
American
Associa>on
of
Neurological
Surgeons
(AANS)
American
College
of
Surgeons
American
Orthopaedic
Associa>on
American
Society
of
Anesthesiologists
Anesthesia
Pa>ent
Safety
Founda>on
Canadian
Anesthesiologists'
Society
Canadian
Associa>on
of
General
Surgeons
Canadian
Medical
Associa>on
Canadian
Pa>ent
Safety
Ins>tute
Royal
College
of
Physicians
and
Surgeons
of
Canada
Framework
for
Harm
Preven>on
Bodom
Line
IOM
and
JCAHO
have
both
recommended
adop>on
of
avia>on
safety
principles
WHO
supports
improved
surgical
safety
and
use
of
an
OR
checklist
the
WHO
ini>a>ve
is
endorsed
worldwide
Next
Steps…
How
best
to
implement
and
maintain
new
ini>a>ves?
Par>cipa>on
is
crucial
–
consider
becoming
a
champion
Next
mee>ng
of
OR
safety
commidee
is
January
21,
2009
Contact
Dr.
Craig
Bosenberg
for
further
informa>on
Contact: Dr. O McAllister BSc, MD, FRCP(C) Managing Partner Colin McAllister PEng, PMP, MBA Managing Principal Perspect Management Consulting www.perspect.ca (Contact Us)