Hyper-Realistic, Team-Centered Fleet Surgical Team Training Provides Sustained Improvements in Performance

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Trauma Care
• Teamwork and Communication

Background:

• Combat casualty care demands effective teamwork and communication for quality patient outcomes.
• High-stress environments necessitate efficient and appropriate patient care strategies.
• U.S. Navy Fleet Surgical Teams require specialized training for deployed medical scenarios.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate a training course designed to enhance teamwork and communication in U.S. Navy Fleet Surgical Teams.
• To assess the immediate and sustained impact of the training on patient care efficiency and critical error reduction.
• To determine the course's value in improving trauma care for wounded service members.

Main Methods:

• A training course incorporating classroom didactics and hands-on simulations was implemented.
• Participants (physicians, corpsmen, nurses, anesthetists) underwent pretest, posttest, and 5-month sustainment testing.
• Evaluation focused on changes in patient time to disposition and critical errors during simulated care.

Main Results:

• Time to patient disposition significantly improved by 11 minutes post-course.
• Critical errors in patient care decreased by 4 errors per encounter immediately after training.
• Sustained improvements showed a slight increase in disposition time but a further decrease in critical errors at 5 months.

Conclusions:

• The training course effectively improved teamwork and communication skills among Navy medical personnel.
• Skills acquired were retained for at least 5 months, demonstrating lasting educational value.
• Ongoing sustainment activities within 6 months can substantially enhance trauma care for deployed Navy units.