Abstract:To foster teamwork, improve clinical excellence, and promote a culture of safety, perioperative leaders should have a clear understanding of the dynamics that affect clinician communication in the OR. We used social network analysis to characterize the typical OR clinician communication patterns at a military surgery center and determine how clinician relationships influenced individual behavior. We surveyed 50 surgical teams and used the data to develop six relational networks and a clinician communication ef… Show more
“…These findings align with results of previous research showing that communication effectiveness increased in networks in which clinicians reported interacting frequently, having close working relationships, socializing, and seeking advice and providing advice to others. 33 (p638) …”
Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in the OR enhances safe and effective patient care. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore perioperative nurses’ perspectives on their contributions to IPC. We conducted a secondary analysis of 19 semistructured interviews with perioperative RNs and completed inductive thematic analysis with subsequent categorization of the themes into the Interprofessional Education for Collaborative Patient‐Centred Practice Framework. Nurses expressed the importance of being heard through effective communication, feeling confident in their role, being aware of interdependent roles, and sharing a common understanding. From nurses’ perspectives, use of structured processes enabled organization of interdisciplinary patient care. Nurses showed leadership skills when they anticipated the needs of the team and recognized they needed support to develop these skills. They contributed to IPC through their shared understanding of common goals, leadership skills in the OR, and active involvement in delivering structured processes.
“…These findings align with results of previous research showing that communication effectiveness increased in networks in which clinicians reported interacting frequently, having close working relationships, socializing, and seeking advice and providing advice to others. 33 (p638) …”
Interprofessional collaboration (IPC) in the OR enhances safe and effective patient care. The aim of this qualitative study was to explore perioperative nurses’ perspectives on their contributions to IPC. We conducted a secondary analysis of 19 semistructured interviews with perioperative RNs and completed inductive thematic analysis with subsequent categorization of the themes into the Interprofessional Education for Collaborative Patient‐Centred Practice Framework. Nurses expressed the importance of being heard through effective communication, feeling confident in their role, being aware of interdependent roles, and sharing a common understanding. From nurses’ perspectives, use of structured processes enabled organization of interdisciplinary patient care. Nurses showed leadership skills when they anticipated the needs of the team and recognized they needed support to develop these skills. They contributed to IPC through their shared understanding of common goals, leadership skills in the OR, and active involvement in delivering structured processes.
“…Team size and the procedure’s surgical complexity are correlated with surgical team communication (Stucky et al, 2022; Zheng et al, 2012). Notably, each procedure’s surgical complexity affects all team performance measures, including team size and communication flow.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…The variable “average complexity” captured surgical procedure complexity. The relative value unit (RVU) was calculated for each surgical procedure using the American Academy of Professor Coder’s categorization and to create a surgical complexity score index (higher scores = greater procedure complexity) with work RVUs for each patient and accounting for additional procedures as follows (AAPC, 2022; Stucky et al, 2022; Zheng et al, 2012). For patients with more than one surgery, we multiplied the second procedure RVU by 0.5 and added it to the primary procedure’s RVU.…”
Section: Methodsmentioning
confidence: 99%
“…A holistic understanding of the factors associated with communication failures calls for systems-based studies that tackle the broader context of communication, such as social and spatial factors. Studies have examined the link between social structure and surgical team communication, including applications of social network analysis to understand OR communication at the individual and team levels (Stucky et al, 2022; DiBenigno & Kellogg, 2014; Stucky, De Jong, & Kabo, 2020; Stucky, De Jong, Kabo, Kasper, 2020). In contrast, there is a dearth of studies that use network analysis to examine the spatial context of surgical team communication.…”
Aim: To examine how the spatial topology of the operating room (OR) within the medical center impacts surgical team communication. Background: Understanding the complex association between surgical team communication and the OR’s spatial network location is critical to patient safety. Effective surgical communication is associated with fewer adverse events and medical errors. Methods: We employed a cross-sectional, quantitative, case study, and network-centric study design. We studied the population of 204 clinicians in a large military medical center (36 perioperative nurses, 34 surgical technicians, 62 anesthesia providers, and 72 surgeons), focusing on surgical teams with cases completed within duty hours. Data were collected from December 2020 to June 2021 using an electronic survey. Spatial network analysis was done using electronic floor plans. Statistical analysis was done with descriptive statistics and linear regressions. The outcomes were general and task-specific communication, and team-level variables were aggregated from scores for all team members. Spatial effects were assessed with network centrality (degree, Laplacian, and betweenness). Results: The individual-level survey response rate was 77% (157 of 204). Data were collected on 137 surgical teams. On a 5-point scale, general and task-specific communication ranged from 3.4 to 5.0 and 3.5 to 5.0, respectively (for both, median = 4.7). Team size ranged from 4 to 6 individuals (median = 4). Surgical suites with higher network centralities were associated with significantly lower communication scores. Conclusions: The OR’s spatial network location has important impacts on surgical team communication. Our findings have design and workflow implications for ORs and even surgical care in combat zones.
“…14 The forming of a shared mental model eases communication and enables surgical team members to anticipate the actions of others. 15 Thus, many safety initiatives promote improving shared mental models as a fundamental goal and use debriefings and huddles as tools to improve collaboration and shared understanding. 13 Team familiarity is an important factor in improving surgical team performance and optimizing surgical efficiency.…”
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