Evaluation of a Brief Team Training Intervention in Surgery: A Mixed-Methods Study

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Management
• Patient Safety
• Surgical Education

Background:

• Effective teamwork and nontechnical skills (NTSs) are crucial for patient safety in surgery.
• Evaluating interdisciplinary patient safety interventions requires robust methodologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess a brief team training program's impact on surgical teams' observed NTSs.
• To evaluate the program's effect on perceived safety culture and teamwork.
• To analyze the implementation of the training program within surgical settings.

Main Methods:

• Mixed-methods approach utilizing structured observations (179 surgeries), semistructured interviews, and surveys.
• Involved surgical team members across four specialties.
• Focused on observed nontechnical skills and the use of the World Health Organization's Surgical Safety Checklist.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements (P < .001) were observed in surgical teams' NTSs and adherence to the Surgical Safety Checklist post-training.
• No significant changes were found in perceived safety climate or teamwork climate.
• Barriers to implementation included production pressure and time constraints; organizational support for education was an enabler.

Conclusions:

• The team training program effectively enhanced observable nontechnical skills and checklist utilization in surgical settings.
• Perceptions of safety culture and teamwork climate were not significantly altered, indicating a complex relationship between training and subjective team dynamics.
• Organizational factors, such as support for education and managing production pressures, are critical for successful implementation of patient safety interventions.