Crew Resource Management for Obstetric and Neonatal Teams to Improve Communication During Cesarean Births

To assess the effectiveness of crew resource management training and interventions on the quality and quantity of communication during cesarean births in a tertiary academic hospital's labor and birthing services.

A prospective pre-post crew resource management training intervention.

Tertiary academic hospital in the Western United States.

All members of obstetric and neonatal teams that participated in cesarean births.

Over a 5-month time period, all obstetric and neonatal staff were required to participate in team training in crew resource management critical language, communication, and team structure. Trained observers collected baseline data (n = 52) for 3 months on the quantity and quality of communications that occurred during cesarean births. Postintervention data (n = 50) were gathered for 3 months after team training. Analysis approach included use of Fisher's exact test, independent-samples t test, and multilevel generalized linear regression models with Poisson distribution.

There was a statistically significant increase in quantity and quality of communication from pre- to postintervention assessment for obstetric and neonatal staff. Although the increase in quality was similarly great between both types of teams, increase in quantity was more substantial in obstetric staff.

Principles of team communication training shown to be effective in increasing communication among team members in a variety of clinical areas were also effective in improving communication in the labor and birth setting during cesarean births.