title: Team function in obstetrics to reduce errors and improve outcomes.
abstract: Crew resource management (CRM), adapted from aviation for the practice of medicine, offers the potential of reducing medical errors, increasing employee retention, and improving patient satisfaction. CRM, however, requires a culture that promotes teamwork and acceptance of new concepts. Leadership is needed to transform the culture, as well as to train, coach, and sustain the behavior CRM demands. Culture change can be fostered through teamwork activities that, when made part of a daily routine, provides the basis for modeling teamwork skills and sets the stage for sustained culture change. New tools are available to measure processes as well as patient and staff satisfaction.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Madigan Army Medical Center, Tacoma, WA 98431-5418, USA. peter.nielsen1@us.army.mil
authors.forename: Peter
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: Susan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Mann
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D015276:Health Care Rationing / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D019300:Medical Errors / Q000517:prevention & control*; D009774:Obstetrics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D014481:United States