Safety in the operating room: team approach saves lives

Improvements in technology, classic peer review, and even relentless determination of the individual practitioner have proven insufficient to eliminate adverse events in surgical patients. Preventing avoidable harm must focus on changing the operating room culture from one of separate--and well-meaning individuals--to a cohesive approach by surgeons, anesthesiologists, nurses, and associated or health staff. Neily and colleagues report the results of a comprehensive team training program implemented across 74 Veterans Health or facilities, which was associated with an 18% reduction in annual mortality (rate ratio = 0.82; P = 0.01).