title: Assessing Nurse Anaesthetists' Non-Technical Skills in the operating room.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Incident reporting and fieldwork in operating rooms have shown that some of the errors that arise in anaesthesia relate to inadequate use of non-technical skills. To provide a tool for training and feedback on nurse anaesthetists' non-technical skills, this study aimed to adapt the Anaesthetists' Non-Technical Skills (ANTS) as a behavioural marker system for the formative assessment of nurse anaesthetists' non-technical skills in the operating room.
  
  
  METHODS
  A qualitative approach with focus group interviews was used to identify the non-technical skills of nurse anaesthetists in the operating room. The interview data were transcribed verbatim. Directed content analysis was used to code and sort data deductively into the ANTS categories: task management, team working, situation awareness and decision making. The prototype named Nurse Anaesthetists' Non-Technical Skills (N-ANTS) was presented and discussed in a group of subject matter experts to ensure face validity.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The N-ANTS system consists of the same four categories as ANTS and 15 underlying elements. Three to five good and poor behavioural markers for each element were identified. The headings and definitions of the categories and elements were adjusted to encompass the behavioural markers in N-ANTS. The differences that emerged mainly reflected statements regarding the establishment of role, competence, and task delegation.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  A behavioural marker system, N-ANTS, for nurse anaesthetists was adapted from a behavioural marker system, ANTS, for anaesthesiologists.
authors.affiliation: Danish Institute for Medical Simulation, Centre for Human Resources, Capital Region of Denmark; University of Copenhagen.
authors.forename: H T
authors.initials: HT
authors.lastname: Lyk-Jensen
authors.forename: R M H G
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Jepsen
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Spanager
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dieckmann
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Østergaard
mesh_terms: D000776:Anesthesiology; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001364:Awareness; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003299:Cooperative Behavior; D003657:Decision Making; D017144:Focus Groups; D013502:General Surgery; D006801:Humans; D033183:Interdisciplinary Communication; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D009719:Nurse Anesthetists / Q000523:psychology / Q000592:standards; D009726:Nurses / Q000523:psychology; D009873:Operating Rooms; D013527:Perioperative Nursing; D010820:Physicians / Q000523:psychology; D036301:Qualitative Research; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis