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Simulation as a catalyst for surgical teamwork: Insights from a high-fidelity trauma training experience
Galinos Barmparas1, Aleeque Marselian1, Falisha Kanji1
1Department of Surgery, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA.
Background:
High-fidelity trauma simulation offers a unique opportunity to improve teamwork, communication, and crisis management in the operating room. Beyond technical skill acquisition, such simulations may foster interprofessional respect, self-reflection, and systems-level quality improvement awareness.
Methods:
A post-simulation survey was completed by 90 participants following 2 high-fidelity trauma surgery scenarios conducted in a simulated operating room at an academic level 1 trauma center. Respondents included surgeons, surgical residents, anesthesiologists, circulating nurses, and scrub technicians from 8 institutions. Confidence in communication, teamwork, and role appreciation were measured using 5-point Likert scales and analyzed with paired-samples t tests and repeated-measures analysis of variance. Qualitative and quantitative items assessed perceived impact on communication practices and opportunities for process improvement.
Results:
Confidence in communication improved from 3.67 ± 0.97 at baseline to 4.15 ± 0.81 after scenario 1 and 4.51 ± 0.61 after scenario 2 (P < .001 for all paired comparisons). Eighty-eight percent reported that participation in the simulation influenced how they would communicate in the operating room in the future, with the most common intended changes including enhanced name recognition (70%), closed-loop communication (70%), active listening (67%), and more frequent updates on patient status (47%). Participants emphasized the value of simulation as a quality-improvement tool, citing increased awareness of latent system issues, and the importance of interdisciplinary readiness. Perceived role importance increased most for circulating nurses (59%), anesthesiologists (49%), and scrub technicians (48%).
Conclusion:
High-fidelity trauma simulation improved communication, strengthened teamwork, and promoted a culture of reflection and quality improvement across operating room disciplines. These findings support routine integration of immersive simulation into surgical and interprofessional training.
