Learning non-technical skills in surgery

Skills other than technical or clinical competences are also recognized as essential in surgery. Most serious adverse events in health care are related to non-technical skill (NTS) failures. This has fostered interest in teaching surgeons about NTS. Reproducible evaluation scales, inspired by management strategies in the air transportation industry have been created in health care and some have been fashioned and validated specifically for surgeons. The list of NTS varies according to authors but one usually finds the same division into two main categories: social skills (communication, teamwork, leadership) and cognitive competences (situational awareness, decision-making). Stress and fatigue affect the implementation of these skills. Simulation is an efficient manner to teach NTS. The goals and exact modalities of how to teach NTS remains to be defined.