title: Multidisciplinary operating room simulation-based team training to reduce treatment errors: a feasibility study in New Zealand hospitals.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Communication failures in healthcare are frequent and linked to adverse events and treatment errors. Simulation-based team training has been proposed to address this. We aimed to explore the feasibility of a simulation-based course for all members of the operating room (OR) team, and to evaluate its effectiveness.
  
  
  METHODS
  Members of experienced OR teams were invited to participate in three simulated clinical events using an integrated surgical and anesthesia model. We collected information on costs, Behavioural Marker of Risk Index (BMRI) (a measure of team information sharing) and participants' educational gains.
  
  
  RESULTS
  We successfully recruited 20 full OR teams. Set up costs were NZ$50,000. Running costs per course were NZ$4,000, excluding staff. Most participants rated the course highly. BMRI improved significantly (P = 0.04) and thematic analysis identified educational gains for participants.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We demonstrated feasibility of multidisciplinary simulation-based training for surgeons, anesthetists, nurses and anaesthetic technicians. The course showed evidence of participant learning and we obtained useful information on cost. There is considerable potential to extend this type of team-based simulation to improve the performance of OR teams and increase safety for surgical patients.
authors.affiliation: Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, University of Auckland and Department of Anaesthesia Auckland City Hospital. j.weller@auckland.ac.nz.
authors.forename: Jennifer
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Weller
authors.affiliation: Anaesthesiology, University of Auckland.
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Cumin
authors.affiliation: Anaesthesiology, University of Auckland.
authors.forename: Jane
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Torrie
authors.affiliation: Centre for Medical and Health Sciences Education, University of Auckland.
authors.forename: Matthew
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Boyd
authors.affiliation: Trauma, Auckland City Hospital.
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Civil
authors.affiliation: Research Office, Counties Manakau District Health Board.
authors.forename: Dominic
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Madell
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Middlemore Hospital.
authors.forename: Andrew
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: MacCormick
authors.affiliation: Surgery, Launceston Hospital.
authors.forename: Nishanthi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Gurisinghe
authors.affiliation: Anaesthesia, Capital and Coast District Health Board.
authors.forename: Alexander
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Garden
authors.affiliation: Nursing, University of Auckland.
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crossan
authors.affiliation: Anaesthesia, Counties Manakau District Health Board.
authors.forename: Wai Leap
authors.initials: WL
authors.lastname: Ng
authors.affiliation: Operating Theatres, Auckland City Hospital.
authors.forename: Sharee
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.affiliation: Psychgological Medicine, University of Auckland.
authors.forename: Arden
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Corter
authors.affiliation: Operating Theatres, Auckland City Hospital.
authors.forename: Tracey
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Lee
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, Linkopings Universitet.
authors.forename: Ludvig
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Selander
authors.affiliation: Medical Student, Linkopings Universitet.
authors.forename: Martina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Cokorilo
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, University of Auckland, and Auckland City Hospital.
authors.forename: Alan Forbes
authors.initials: AF
authors.lastname: Merry
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D003142:Communication; D003362:Cost-Benefit Analysis; D003479:Curriculum; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D009520:New Zealand; D009873:Operating Rooms / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D015397:Program Evaluation; D000066908:Simulation Training / Q000458:organization & administration*