Differing perceptions of preoperative communication among surgical team members

Although preoperative communication is an emerging means through which surgical teams prepare for cases, little is known regarding its current state. This study investigated this topic in a survey of surgical team members.

An 11-question survey regarding the current state of and barriers to preoperative communication among surgical team members (surgeons, anesthesiologists, and surgical nurses and technologists) was distributed at a United States academic medical center utilizing the SurveyMonkey online questionnaire tool. Statistical analyses depended on variable type.

The response rate was 49.4% (170 of 344 potential responses). All groups strongly agreed that preoperative communication contributes to health care quality and patient outcomes. Surgeons rated their satisfaction with the current state of preoperative communication more favorably than anesthesiologists (p < 0.05). Satisfaction ratings of the current state were suboptimal across groups. The most common selection for the current timing of preoperative communication across groups was before each case (29.4% of respondents) and for optimal timing, the day before a case (31.2%). The most frequently discussed topic across groups was reported to be operating room and nursing details (72.4% of respondents). The greatest barriers to preoperative communication across groups were thought to be a lack of a standard method of communication (52.4% of respondents), lack of time (51.8%), and difficulty in determining the assigned staff for a given case (50.0%).

There exist differing perceptions of preoperative communication among surgical team members, which conveys an opportunity for improvement across groups. Coordination of the timing of preoperative communication and standardization of the discussed content could help mitigate current barriers.