Assessing scrub practitioner non-technical skills: a literature review

Area of Science:

• Surgical Patient Safety
• Healthcare Education
• Clinical Performance

Background:

• The perioperative period is inherently high-risk for surgical patients.
• Non-technical skills education is vital for improving clinical performance and patient outcomes.
• Scrub practitioner non-technical skills are often tacit, hindering performance assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify strategies for assessing non-technical skills during surgery.
• To provide recommendations for reliable assessment of scrub practitioner non-technical skills.

Main Methods:

• Literature review of strategies for assessing non-technical skills in surgery.
• Analysis of existing frameworks and their applicability to scrub practitioners.

Main Results:

• Identified various strategies facilitating the assessment of non-technical skills during surgical procedures.
• Highlighted the need for validated assessment frameworks tailored for scrub practitioners.

Conclusions:

• Reliable assessment of scrub practitioner non-technical skills is achievable with validated frameworks.
• Implementing such frameworks can enhance surgical team performance and patient safety.