STOPS: A Coping Framework for Surgeons Who Experience Intraoperative Error.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Safety
• Psychological Well-being in Surgery

Background:

• Intraoperative errors are unavoidable in surgery.
• Current surgical training lacks formal curricula for error recovery.
• Inadequate error management negatively impacts patient outcomes and surgeon mental health.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore faculty surgeons' responses to intraoperative errors.
• To develop a framework for coping with surgical errors.
• To inform surgical training and improve patient safety.

Main Methods:

• Thematic analysis of in-depth, semistructured interviews with 27 faculty surgeons.
• Interviews focused on recent intraoperative error experiences.
• Data analysis identified themes in error response and coping strategies.

Main Results:

• Three key themes emerged: Exigency (need for training), Learning (how surgeons cope), and Responses (current error handling).
• A novel framework, STOPS (Stop, Talk to your Team, Obtain Help, Plan, Succeed), was developed to guide error management.
• Surgeons' experiences reveal a need for structured approaches to intraoperative error recovery.

Conclusions:

• The study offers new insights into surgeon coping mechanisms for intraoperative errors.
• The STOPS framework provides a practical tool for surgical trainees and faculty.
• Implementing this framework can enhance surgical safety and support surgeon well-being.