A systematic review of surgeon-anesthesiologist relationship in the operating room

Effective collaboration between surgeons and anesthesiologists is critical to managing intraoperative challenges and ensuring patient safety. Despite its importance, the specific dynamics of this relationship remain underexplored, with few studies providing quantitative assessments.

A structured literature review was conducted following PRISMA guidelines, focusing on studies that examined the surgeon-anesthesiologist relationship and its impact on surgical outcomes. Data were extracted on measurement methodologies, relationship indicators, reported outcome effects, identified barriers, and proposed interventions.

Eleven papers met inclusion criteria, all employing surveys or field observations to evaluate communication frequency, content, and patterns. Methods were similar to general team collaboration assessments, lacking multidimensional measures. Potential complementary metrics include collaborative behaviors such as anticipatory movements and eye-tracking to assess shared visual attention. Evidence linking relationship quality to patient outcomes was limited and inconsistent. Reported barriers included operating room culture, negative perceptions, and communication gaps. Suggested interventions included pre-surgical briefings, debriefings, and enhanced visualization of patient and surgical information.

Current evidence on the surgeon-anesthesiologist relationship is sparse and methodologically limited. Future research should incorporate advanced behavioral and technological metrics to enable robust quantification, inform targeted interventions, and strengthen interprofessional collaboration to improve patient safety and surgical performance.