Why simulation-based team training has not been used effectively and what can be done about it

Advanced medical education simulators are broadly used today to train both technical/procedural and team-based skills. While there is convincing evidence of the benefits of training technical skills, this is not the case for team-based skills. Research on medical expertise could drive the creation of a new regime of simulation-based team training. The new regime includes first the understanding of complex systems such as the hospital and the operating room; then the performance of work-place assessment; thirdly, the deliberate training of weaknesses and team performance skills; and lastly the understanding of the underlying mechanisms of team competence. A new regime of deliberate training proposed by the author, which would need to be evaluated and validated, could elucidate the underlying mechanisms of team competence while providing evidence of the effect of simulation-based team training.