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Published on: January 15, 2017
Teamwork in the operating theatre: cohesion or confusion?
Shabnam Undre1, Nick Sevdalis, Andrew N Healey
1Department of Surgical Oncology and Technology, Imperial College, London, UK.
Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice
|April 4, 2006
Summary
Operating theatre (OT) professionals desire team structure changes but lack consensus. Teamwork quality is acceptable, though communication between surgeons and anaesthetists needs improvement for enhanced patient safety.
Area of Science:
- Healthcare Management
- Teamwork Dynamics
- Surgical Operations
Background:
- Assessing the cohesiveness of multidisciplinary operating theatre (OT) teams is crucial for understanding team dynamics.
- Previous assumptions about OT team cohesion may not fully reflect the complex interprofessional environment.
Purpose of the Study:
- To empirically evaluate the cohesiveness of multidisciplinary operating theatre (OT) teams.
- To investigate OT professionals' perceptions of teamwork, team structure, and role clarity.
Main Methods:
- Utilized concepts from team performance and team mental models literature.
- Assessed perceptions of teamwork, team structure, roles, and performance among OT professionals.
Main Results:
- Professionals desire changes in team structure but lack agreement on alternatives.
- Discrepancies exist in perceived role understanding among different OT professionals, particularly surgeons.
- Communication satisfaction is high, except between surgeons and anaesthetists; overall teamwork is acceptable but improvable.
Conclusions:
- The operating theatre (OT) environment may be less cohesive than presumed, impacting team training effectiveness.
- Further research is essential to understand OT dynamics and their link to patient safety.
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