Learning non-technical skills in surgery
M-A Allard1, A Blanié2, A Brouquet3
1Centre Hépatobiliaire, Hôpital Paul Brousse, 94800 Villejuif, France.
Journal of Visceral Surgery
|April 29, 2020
Summary
Non-technical skills (NTS) are crucial for surgical patient safety, as failures often lead to adverse events. Teaching surgeons NTS, particularly through simulation, is vital for improving outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Education
- Patient Safety
- Healthcare Management
Background:
- Non-technical skills (NTS) are increasingly recognized as critical in surgery, beyond clinical expertise.
- Failures in NTS are linked to a significant proportion of serious adverse events in healthcare.
- Existing NTS evaluation scales, adapted from aviation, have been developed and validated for surgeons.
Purpose of the Study:
- To highlight the importance of non-technical skills in surgical practice.
- To discuss the categorization and impact of NTS on surgical performance.
- To explore simulation as a method for teaching NTS to surgeons.
Main Methods:
- Review of literature on non-technical skills in surgery.
- Analysis of NTS categories (social and cognitive skills).
- Discussion of factors affecting NTS (stress, fatigue) and teaching modalities (simulation).
Main Results:
- Non-technical skills encompass social (communication, teamwork, leadership) and cognitive (situational awareness, decision-making) domains.
- Stress and fatigue negatively impact the application of NTS.
- Simulation emerges as an effective method for NTS training.
Conclusions:
- Non-technical skills are essential for safe and effective surgical practice.
- Further definition of teaching goals and methods for NTS is required.
- Simulation offers a promising avenue for enhancing surgeons' NTS.
