Surgical team training: the Northwestern Memorial Hospital experience.
OBJECTIVE
To develop and implement a team-training curriculum. We hypothesized that better interactions between personnel would lead to improved patient safety, increased efficiency, and better staff satisfaction.


METHODS
Prospective assessment of a team-training program.


METHODS
University-affiliated hospital.


METHODS
Operating room physicians, nurses, technicians, and other personnel.


METHODS
Four-hour classroom curriculum, intraoperative coaching on team-related behaviors, and follow-up feedback sessions.


METHODS
Baseline metrics and observational data were collected for 3 months before implementing the team-training program and 6 months after a designated implementation date. A questionnaire regarding perceptions of teamwork was completed at the beginning of and 6 weeks following the team-training classroom session.


RESULTS
Six months after implementation of team training, compliance with preoperative briefings was 66%. No changes in hospital metrics were observed. An improved perception of teamwork among the participants was demonstrated in pretraining and posttraining surveys. Perceptions of teamwork and the utility of a preoperative briefing differed among nurses, surgeons, and anesthesiologists.


CONCLUSIONS
Our team-training program resulted in moderate compliance with behaviors taught in the curriculum. Even with only moderate compliance, we demonstrated improved perceptions of teamwork.
Halverson
Amy L
AL
Department of Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. ahalverson@nmff.org
Andersson
Jennifer L
JL
Anderson
Karen
K
Lombardo
Justin
J
Park
Christine S
CS
Rademaker
Alfred W
AW
Moorman
Don W
DW
D002641:Chicago; D003142:Communication; D003479:Curriculum; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006785:Hospitals, University; D006801:Humans; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires