Non-technical skills of surgical trainees and experienced surgeons

Which, how, and what? Using digital tools to train surgical skills; a systematic review and meta-analysis

Background

Digital tools like digital box trainers and VR seem promising in delivering safe and tailored practice opportunities outside of the surgical clinic, yet understanding their efficacy and limitations is essential. This study investigated Which digital tools are available to train surgical skills, How these tools are used, How effective they are, and What skills they are intended to teach.

Methods

Medline, Embase, and Cochrane libraries were systematically reviewed for randomized trials, evaluating digital skill-training tools based on objective outcomes (skills scores and completion time) in surgical residents. Digital tools effectiveness were compared against controls, wet/dry lab training, and other digital tools. Tool and training factors subgroups were analysed, and studies were assessed on their primary outcomes: technical and/or non-technical.

Results

The 33 included studies involved 927 residents and six digital tools; digital box trainers, (immersive) virtual reality (VR) trainers, robot surgery trainers, coaching and feedback, and serious games. Digital tools outperformed controls in skill scores (SMD 1.66 [1.06, 2.25], P < 0.00001, I2 = 83 %) and completion time (SMD -1.05 [-1.72, -0.38], P = 0.0001, I2 = 71 %). There were no significant differences between digital tools and lab training, between tools, or in other subgroups. Only two studies focussed on non-technical skills.

Conclusion

While the efficacy of digital tools in enhancing technical surgical skills is evident - especially for VR-trainers -, there is a lack of evidence regarding non-technical skills, and need to improve methodological robustness of research on new (digital) tools before they are implemented in curricula.

Key message

This study provides critical insight into the increasing presence of digital tools in surgical training, demonstrating their usefulness while identifying current challenges, especially regarding methodological robustness and inattention to non-technical skills.

Advancing leadership in surgery: a realist review of interventions and strategies to promote evidence-based leadership in healthcare

BACKGROUND

Healthcare systems invest in leadership development of surgeons, surgical trainees, and teams. However, there is no agreement on how interventions should be designed, or what components they must contain to be successful. The objective of this realist review was to generate a programme theory explaining in which context and for whom surgical leadership interventions work and why.

METHODS

Five databases were systematically searched, and articles screened against inclusion considering their relevance. Context-mechanism-outcome configurations (CMOCs) and fragments of CMOCs were identified. Gaps in the CMOCs were filled through deliberation with the research team and stakeholder feedback. We identified patterns between CMOCs and causal relationships to create a programme theory.

RESULTS

Thirty-three studies were included and 19 CMOCs were developed. Findings suggests that interventions for surgeons and surgical teams improve leadership if timely feedback is delivered on multiple occasions and by trusted and respected people. Negative feedback is best provided privately. Feedback from senior-to-junior or peer-to-peer should be delivered directly, whereas feedback from junior-to-senior is preferred when delivered anonymously. Leadership interventions were shown to be most effective for those with awareness of the importance of leadership, those with confidence in their technical surgical skills, and those with identified leadership deficits. For interventions to improve leadership in surgery, they need to be delivered in an intimate learning environment, consider implementing a speak-up culture, provide a variety of interactive learning activities, show a genuine investment in the intervention, and be customised to the needs of surgeons. Leadership of surgical teams can be best developed by enabling surgical teams to train together.

CONCLUSIONS

The programme theory provides evidence-based guidance for those who are designing, developing and implementing leadership interventions in surgery. Adopting the recommendations will help to ensure interventions are acceptable to the surgical community and successful in improving surgical leadership.

TRIAL REGISTRATION

The review protocol is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021230709).

Improving Surgical Excellence: Can Coaching Surgeons Improve Patient Engagement?

INTRODUCTION

Non-technical skills complement technical skills in surgeons to provide best possible care for patients. The former is essential to promote patient engagement. Coaching has been introduced to surgeons as a method to improve non-technical skills. We aimed to investigate the impact of coaching for surgeons on patient engagement in the outpatient consultation setting.

METHODS

This was a single-centre cohort study conducted in South Australia. Consultant surgeons, suitable coaches, and patients were recruited. Coaches underwent further training by a human factors psychologist on being an effective coach. Outpatient consultations were recorded in an audio-visual format and analysed by investigators. Patient talking time, mutual eye gaze between surgeon and patient, and number of questions asked by the patient were measured as outcomes for patient engagement.

RESULTS

182 patients, 12 surgeons, and 4 coaches participated in the study. Each surgeon underwent 3 coaching sessions, 5 to 6 weeks apart. There were 62 pre-coaching patient consultations, 63 patient consultations after one coaching session, and 57 patient consultations after two coaching sessions. The mean talking time of the patient increased significantly after a single coaching session (P < 0.05) without making significant difference to the total consultation time (p = 0.76). Coaching sessions did not have a significant effect on mutual eye gaze or mean number of questions asked by the patient.

CONCLUSION

Coaching of non-technical skills for surgeons appears to objectively improve patient engagement during the outpatient consultation. This would suggest that tailored coaching programs should be developed and delivered to surgeons to improve care delivery.

Surgical coaching in obstetrics and gynecology: an evidence-based strategy to elevate surgical education and promote lifelong learning

The American Board of Medical Specialties, of which the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology is a member, released recommendations in 2019 reimagining specialty certification and highlighting the importance of individualized feedback and data-driven advances in clinical practice throughout the physicians' careers. In this article, we presented surgical coaching as an evidence-based strategy for achieving lifelong learning and practice improvement that can help to fulfill the vision of the American Board of Medical Specialties. Surgical coaching involves the development of a partnership between 2 surgeons in which 1 surgeon (the coach) guides the other (the participant) in identifying goals, providing feedback, and facilitating action planning. Previous literature has demonstrated that surgical coaching is viewed as valuable by both coaches and participants. In particular, video-based coaching involves reviewing recorded surgical cases and can be integrated into the physicians' busy schedules as a means of acquiring and advancing both technical and nontechnical skills. Establishing surgical coaching as an option for continuous learning and improvement in practice has the potential to elevate surgical performance and patient care.

Objective Measures of Surgeon Non-Technical Skills in Surgery: A Scoping Review

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this study was to identify, synthesize, and discuss objective behavioral or physiological metrics of surgeons' nontechnical skills (NTS) in the literature.

BACKGROUND

NTS, or interpersonal or cognitive skills, have been identified to contribute to safe and efficient surgical performance; however, current assessments are subjective, checklist-based tools. Intraoperative skill evaluation, such as technical skills, has been previously utilized as an objective measure to address such limitations.

METHODS

Five databases in engineering, behavioral science, and medicine were searched following PRISMA reporting guidelines. Eligibility criteria included studies with NTS objective measurements, surgeons, and took place within simulated or live operations.

RESULTS

Twenty-three articles were included in this review. Objective metrics included communication metrics and measures from physiological responses such as changes in brain activation and motion of the eye. Frequencies of content-coded communication in surgery were utilized in 16 studies and were associated with not only the communication construct but also cognitive constructs of situation awareness and decision making. This indicates the underlying importance of communication in evaluating the NTS constructs. To synthesize the scoped literature, a framework based on the one-way communication model was used to map the objective measures to NTS constructs.

CONCLUSION

Objective NTS measurement of surgeons is still preliminary, and future work on leveraging objective metrics in parallel with current assessment tools is needed.

APPLICATION

Findings from this work identify objective NTS metrics for measurement applications in a surgical environment.

Coaching to enhance qualified surgeons' non-technical skills: a systematic review

INTRODUCTION

The lack of an effective continuing professional development programme for qualified surgeons, specifically one that enhances non-technical skills (NTS), is an issue receiving increased attention. Peer-based coaching, used in multiple professions, is a proposed method to deliver this. The aim of this study was to undertake a systematic review of the literature to summarize the quantity and quality of studies involving surgical coaching of NTS in qualified surgeons.

METHODS

A systematic search of the literature was performed through MEDLINE, EMBASE, Cochrane Collaboration and PsychINFO. Studies were selected based on predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Data for the included studies was independently extracted by two reviewers and the quality of the studies evaluated using the Medical Education and Research Study Quality Instrument (MERSQI).

RESULTS

Some 4319 articles were screened from which 19 met the inclusion criteria. Ten studies involved coaching of individual surgeons and nine looked at group coaching of surgeons as part of a team. Group coaching studies used non-surgeons as coaches, included objective assessment of NTS, and were of a higher quality (average MERSQI 13.58). Individual coaching studies focused on learner perception, used experienced surgeons as coaches and were of a lower quality (average MERSQI 11.58). Individual coaching did not show an objective improvement in NTS for qualified surgeons in any study.

CONCLUSION

Surgical coaching of qualified surgeons' NTS in a group setting was found to be effective. Coaching of individual surgeons revealed an overall positive learner perception but did not show an objective improvement in NTS for qualified surgeons.

Anatomy Scholars Program for Medical Students Entering a Surgical Residency

A near-peer teaching experience for upper-level medical students could help prepare them for surgical residency by providing specific education opportunities and exposure to the field of surgery. Five medical students were selected to be near-peer teachers (NPTs) in gross anatomy, and then they reflected on their experiences. The NPTs spent the majority of effort in a teaching role, and reported improved NTS, anatomy knowledge, and dissection skills. MS1s and faculty also reported on the value of the ASP. Further development and evaluation of the ASP may be an excellent opportunity for future surgeons.

Teaching and Evaluating Nontechnical Skills for General Surgery

Surgical training programs have long used quantitative measures of knowledge, as well as subjective evaluation of technical skills, to define the competence of trainees. However, a growing body of literature has shown the importance of nontechnical surgical skills as vital components of quality surgical care. Institutions must train nontechnical surgical skills, including leadership, communication, teamwork, situational awareness, and decision making, and incorporate these attributes into their evaluative processes to maximally enhance surgical performance at every career stage.

Quantifying the "Assistant Effect" in Robotic-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy (RARP): Measures of Technical Performance

PURPOSE

Surgeons are reliant on the bedside assistant during robotic surgeries. Using a modified global rating scale (GRS), we aim to assess the association between an assistant's technical skill on surgeon performance in Robotic-Assisted Radical Prostatectomy (RARP).

METHODS

Prospective, intraoperative video from RARP cases at three centers were collected. Baseline demographic and RARP-experience data were collected from participating surgeons and trainees. The dissection of the prostatic pedicle and neurovascular bundle step (NVB) was analyzed. Expert analysts scored the console surgeon performance using the Global Evaluative Assessment of Robotic Skills (GEARS), and the bedside assistant performance using a modified Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (aOSATS). The primary outcome is the association between console surgeon performance, as measured by GEARS, and assistant skill, as measured by aOSATS. Spearman's rho correlations were used to test the relationship between assistant and surgeon technical performance, and a multivariable linear regression model was created to test this association while controlling for patient factors.

RESULTS

92 RARP cases were available for the analysis, comprising 14 console surgeons and 22 different bedside assistants. In only 5 (5.4%) cases, the neurovascular bundle step was completed by a trainee, and in 13 (14.1%) of cases, a staff-level surgeon acted as the bedside assistant. aOSATS score was significantly associated with robotic console experience (P = 0.011), and prior laparoscopic experience (P < 0.001). Assistant aOSATS score showed a weak but significant correlation with surgeon GEARS score during the neurovascular bundle step (spearman's rho = 0.248, P = 0.028). On linear regression, aOSATS remained a significant predictor of console surgeon performance (P = 0.016), after controlling for patient age and BMI, prostate volume, tumor stage, and presence of nerve-sparing.

CONCLUSIONS

This is the first study to assess the association between assistant technical skill and surgeon performance in RARP. Additionally, we have provided validity evidence for a modified OSATS global rating scale for training and assessing bedside assistant performance.

Non-technical skills in robotic surgery and impact on near-miss events: a multi-center study

BACKGROUND

Robotic surgery requires a set of non-technical skills (NTS), because of the complex environment. We aim to study relationship between NTS and near-miss events in robotic surgery.

METHODS

This is an observational study in five French centers. Three robotic procedures were observed and filmed by one of expert trainers in NTS. They established and scored a non-technical skills in robotic surgery (NTSRS) score, that included eight items, each scored from 1 to 5, to assess the whole surgical teams. The surgical teams also self-assessed their work. The number of near-miss events was recorded and classified as minor, or major but no harm incidents, independently by two surgeons. Correlations were Spearman coefficients.

RESULTS

Of the 26 procedures included, 15 were prostatectomy (58%), 9 nephrectomy (35%), and 2 pyeloplasty (7.7%). Half of procedures (n = 13) were performed by surgeons with extensive RS experience (more than 150 procedures). Per procedure, there was a median (quartiles) of 9 (7; 11) near-miss events. There was 1 (0; 2) major near-miss events, with no harm. The median NTSRS score was 18 (14; 21), out of 40. The number of near-miss events was strongly correlated with the NTSRS score (r = - 0.92, p < 0.001) but was not correlated with the surgeon's experience. The surgeons for fifteen (58%) procedures, and the bed-side surgeons for 11 (42%) procedures, felt that there was no need for an improvement in the quality of their NTS. None of the surgeons gave a negative self-evaluation for any procedure; in three procedures (12%), the bed-side surgeons self-assessed negatively, on ergonomics.

CONCLUSION

Occurrence of near-miss events was reduced in teams managing NTS. Specific NTS surgical team training is essential for robotic surgery as it may have a significant impact on risk management.

Non-technical skills for urological surgeons (NoTSUS): development and evaluation of curriculum and assessment scale

Objective

In the last decade non-technical skills (NTS) have emerged as a vital area for improvement within surgery. This study aims to develop and evaluate a Non-technical Skills for Urological Surgeons (NoTSUS) training curriculum and assessment scale.

Methods

This international, longitudinal and observational study began with a 3-round Delphi methodology to refine curriculum contents and rating scale. Sessions with up to four participants were delivered where each candidate undertook an independent scenario within the validated full immersion simulation environment. Candidates were assessed using both the NoTSS (Non-technical Skills for Surgeons) and NoTSUS rating scales by NTS-trained and non-trained experts. A post-training evaluation survey was distributed.

Results

62 participants comprising trainees (n = 43) and specialists (n = 19) undertook the NoTSUS course. The NoTSS and NoTSUS scales correlated well, with a mean difference of 3.3 in the overall total (p = 0.10, r = 0.53). However, there was significant differences in scores between the NoTSS-trained and non-trained raters (n = 28, p = 0.03). A one-way ANOVA test revealed significant improvement throughout the four simulation scenarios in each session (p = 0.02). The NoTSUS curriculum received positive feedback from participants and demonstrated educational value and acceptability.

Conclusions

The NoTSUS curriculum has demonstrated high educational value for NTS training aimed at urologists, with marked improvement throughout sessions. Correlation of NoTSUS and NoTSS scales proves its suitability for evaluating NTS in future training. Demonstration of inter-rater reliability indicates that the scale is reliable for use in assessment by expert faculty members. Furthermore, qualitative feedback from participants suggests gain of transferrable skills over the course.

Electronic supplementary material

The online version of this article (10.1007/s00345-020-03406-6) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.

Continuing surgical education of non-technical skills

Background

The non-technical skills for surgeons (NOTSS) system was developed as a tool to assess surgical skills for patient safety during surgery. This study aimed to develop a NOTSS-based training system for surgical trainees to acquire non-technical skills using a chest surgery scenario in a wet lab.

Materials and methods

Trainees were categorized into three subgroups according to the years of experience as follows: Level A: 6 years or more; Level B: 3–5 years; and Level C: 1–2 years. Three stages of surgical procedure were designed: 1. chest wall resection and right upper lobe lobectomy, 2. right middle lobe sleeve lobectomy, and 3. right lower lobe lobectomy. One instructor was assigned to each operation table, who evaluated each participant's NOTSS scores consisting of 16 elements.

Results

When comparing average NOTSS score of all the three procedures, significant differences were observed between Level A, B, and C trainees. As an example of varying elements by procedure, Level A trainees demonstrated differences in Situation Awareness, and a significant difference was observed in Level C trainees regarding the elements of Decision Making. On the contrary, no significant difference was observed among Level B trainees. In the comparison between first-time and experienced participants, a significant improvement was observed in some elements in Level B and C trainees.

Conclusion

This study highlights the usefulness and feasibility of the NOTSS scoring system for surgeons with different experiences and the effectiveness of providing feedback to trainees during intraoperative handoffs in a wet lab.

•

Team training was effective for trainees of different levels.

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Surgeons need continuing education of a non-technical skills.

Peri-Operative Patient Safety - An Interactive Workshop for Section 3 CPD Credits Developed in Collaboration with the CMPA

BACKGROUND

The Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada requires physicians to collect credit in continuing professional development courses including Section 3 credits which require feedback and self-assessment. This study aims to examine the effectiveness of offering Section 3 credits in a conference setting using an interactive workshop on peri-operative patient safety developed in collaboration with the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA). Both the knowledge gained and the attitudes towards the conference were analysed.

METHODS

This was a pre/post-test study design. An interactive case studies workshop was implemented on medicolegal issues for patient care, before, during, and after surgery at the Canadian Society of Otolaryngology Head and Neck Surgery annual meeting. The workshop used small group and large interactive group educational strategies to gauge knowledge of both pre and post cases. Participants completed a questionnaire at the end of the workshop comparing their attitudes before and after the workshop.

RESULTS

There were 22 participants in the workshop. A little over half knew the requirements for Section 3 CPD credits (58%) but only 36% knew how to obtain them. The data demonstrated with 95% confidence intervals, statistically significant improvement in how participants felt about their ability to identify at-risk behaviours in surgical practice (2.10 to 2.90, 3-point Likert, p<0.001), to analyze the impact of at-risk behaviour on patient care (1.95 to 2.65, p<0.001), and to develop strategies to address at-risk behaviours in surgical practice and improve patient care (1.95 to 2.80, p<0.001). One hundred percent of participants felt similar workshops should be included in future annual meetings, and 94% felt that future meetings should include more opportunities to obtain Section 3 credits.

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the effectiveness of an interactive workshop in a conference setting to fulfill the need for Section 3 continuing professional development credits.

Non-technical skills and otolaryngology: systematic review

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to assess the published literature on non-technical skills in otolaryngology surgery and examine the applicability of any research to others' practice, and to explore how the published literature can identify areas for further development and guide future research.

METHODS

A systematic review was conducted using the following key words: 'otolaryngology', 'otorhinolaryngology', 'ENT', 'ENT surgery', 'ear, nose and throat surgery', 'head and neck surgery', 'thyroid surgery', 'parathyroid surgery', 'otology', 'rhinology', 'laryngology' 'skull base surgery', 'airway surgery', 'non-technical skills', 'non technical skills for surgeons', 'NOTSS', 'behavioural markers' and 'behavioural assessment tool'.

RESULTS

Three publications were included in the review - 1 randomised, controlled trial and 2 cohort studies - involving 78 participants. All were simulation-based studies involving training otolaryngology surgeons.

CONCLUSION

Little research has been undertaken on non-technical skills in otolaryngology. Training surgeons' non-technical skill levels are similar across every tested aspect. The research already performed can guide further studies, particularly amongst non-training otolaryngology surgeons and in both emergency and elective non-simulated environments.

Simulation-based acquisition of non-technical skills to improve patient safety

Traditional surgical training has focused on the acquisition of technical skills and knowledge with minimal focus on teaching nontechnical skills. Patient safety depends on both technical and nontechnical skills, with a higher rate of non-technical skills failure leading to patient harm. Many surgical training and regulatory bodies have incorporated nontechnical skills in the required competencies of a surgeon, but few have introduced formal training in nontechnical skills. Emerging research shows simulation-based education to be a powerful tool to teach nontechnical skills to individual surgeons and surgeons in training, and to interprofessional surgical teams with subsequent improvement of patient safety outcomes.

Technical and Nontechnical Skills in Surgery: A Simulated Operating Room Environment Study

STUDY DESIGN

Observational simulation study.

OBJECTIVE

The goal of this study was to investigate the relationship between technical and nontechnical skills (NTS) in a simulated surgical procedure.

SUMMARY OF BACKGROUND DATA

Although surgeons' technical and NTS during surgery are crucial determinants for clinical outcomes, little literature is available in spine surgery. Moreover, evidence regarding how surgeons' technical and NTS are related is limited.

METHODS

A mixed-reality and full-scale simulated operating room environment was employed for the surgical team. Eleven surgeons performed the vertebroplasty procedure (VP). Technical skills (TS) were assessed using Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill scores and senior expert-evaluated VP outcome assessment. NTS were assessed with the Observational Teamwork Assessment for Surgery. Kendall-Tau-b tests were performed for correlations. We further controlled the influence of surgeons' experience (based on professional tenure and number of previous VPs performed).

RESULT

Surgeons' NTS correlated significantly with their technical performance (τ = 0.63; P = 0.006) and surgical outcome scores (τ = 0.60; P = 0.007). This association was attenuated when controlling for surgeons' experience.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest that spine surgeons with higher levels of TS also apply better communication, leadership, and coordination behaviors during the procedure. Yet, the role of surgeons' experience needs further investigation for improving surgeons' intraoperative performance during spine surgery.

LEVEL OF EVIDENCE

3.

Non-technical skills: a review of training and evaluation in urology

PURPOSE

With non-technical skills (NTS) deficits being recognised as a major cause for error in surgery, there is an increasing interest in their training and evaluation. A growing number of training courses are emerging and some NTS curricula have also been created. Many different training methods are described in the literature but there is still uncertainty with regards to their optimum combination within a curriculum.

METHODS

A literature review of the electronic database Medline was performed. All articles published before December 2018 were screened by abstract and included if deemed relevant by the author. The included articles' reference lists were also screened for further relevant studies.

RESULTS

Simulation training is accepted as the most effective way to train NTS. Within simulation training, it is shown that the 'igloo' full immersion/distributed simulation environment is appropriate for teaching NTS in urological scenarios where a designated operating room or space is not available. The use of multiple settings, for example wards and clinics as well as the operating room, is advantageous, as is training in an interprofessional team. Classroom teaching also plays a role in NTS training as an adjunct to simulation, with evidence that it improves some parameters of NTS. All levels, including qualified surgeons, benefit from NTS training; however, adaptation to both trainee level and specialty is important. Although less time consuming, training juniors and seniors together mainly benefits juniors, and training NTS at the same time as technical skills detracts from the quality of teaching. Debriefing is an important part of training and should be well structured; there are many debriefing models in existence, allowing for choice of method based on examiner preference and participant demographic. Furthermore, examiners should be well briefed in their task and trained in NTS assessment.

CONCLUSION

To move forward, studies should combine tried and tested learning techniques into a curriculum covering all training levels, which should then be validated and followed up long term to ensure a positive impact on patient safety.

Surgeons' expertise during critical event in laparoscopic cholecystectomy: An expert-novice comparison using protocol analysis

BACKGROUND

The purpose of this study was to examine differences in thought processes between novice and experienced surgeons when they were presented with a critical situation during laparoscopic cholecystectomy.

METHODS

A group of experienced and novice surgeons were shown a recording of a laparoscopic cholecystectomy with an intraoperative bleeding event. The think-aloud method was used to capture surgeons' thought processes. Verbal reports were recorded, transcribed and analyzed using the protocol analysis method.

RESULTS

Sixteen subjects (8 in each group) participated at two centers. Experienced surgeons demonstrated deeper comprehension of the operative field, richer mental image of future events and superior awareness of potentially dangerous situations. They also spent more time engaged in metacognitive activity.

CONCLUSIONS

This study highlights the differences and similarities between surgeons with different levels of experience during a challenging intraoperative encounter. The domains of cognition and mental image as well as metacognition appear to be key elements of surgical expertise.

Construct and criterion validity testing of the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) behaviour assessment tool using videos of simulated operations

Background

Surgeons' non-technical skills are an important part of surgical performance and surgical education. The most widely adopted assessment tool is the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) behaviour rating system. Psychometric analysis of this tool to date has focused on inter-rater reliability and feasibility rather than validation.

Methods

NOTSS assessments were collected from two groups of consultant/attending surgeons in the UK and USA, who rated behaviours of the lead surgeon during a video-based simulated crisis scenario after either online or classroom instruction. The process of validation consisted of assessing construct validity, scale reliability and concurrent criterion validity, and undertaking a sensitivity analysis. Central to this was confirmatory factor analysis to evaluate the structure of the NOTSS taxonomy.

Results

Some 255 consultant surgeons participated in the study. The four-category NOTSS model was found to have robust construct validity evidence, and a superior fit compared with alternative models. Logistic regression and sensitivity analysis revealed that, after adjusting for technical skills, for every 1-point increase in NOTSS score of the lead surgeon, the odds of having a higher versus lower patient safety score was 2·29 times. The same pattern of results was obtained for a broad mix of surgical specialties (UK) as well as a single discipline (cardiothoracic, USA).

Conclusion

The NOTSS tool can be applied in research and education settings to measure non-technical skills in a valid and efficient manner.

Surgical safety checklist training: a national study of undergraduate medical and nursing student teaching, understanding and influencing factors

INTRODUCTION

Use of the WHO surgical safety checklist is consistently recognised to reduce harm caused by human error during the perioperative period. Inconsistent engagement is considered to contribute to persistence of surgical Never Events in the National Health Service. Most medical and nursing graduates will join teams responsible for the perioperative care of patients, therefore appropriate undergraduate surgical safety training is needed.

AIMS

To investigate UK medical and nursing undergraduate experience of the surgical safety checklist training.

METHODS

An eight-item electronic questionnaire was distributed electronically to 32 medical schools and 72 nursing schools. Analysis was conducted for the two cohorts, and responses from final year students were included.

RESULTS

87/224 (38.8%) of medical students received teaching on the surgical safety checklist, compared with 380/711 (52.0%) of nursing students. 172/224 (76.8%) of medical students and 489/711 (66.9%) of nursing students understood its purpose and 8/224 (3.6%) medical students and 54/711 (7.4%) nursing students reported never being included in the Time Out. After adjusting for confounding factors, provision of formal teaching in checklist use increased understanding significantly (OR 50.39 (14.07 to 325.79, P<0.001)), as did routine student involvement in time outs (OR 5.72 (2.36 to 14.58, P<0.001)).

DISCUSSION

Knowledge of perioperative patient safety systems and the ability to participate in safety protocols are important skills that should be formally taught at the undergraduate level. Results of this study show that UK undergraduate surgical safety checklist training does not meet the minimum standards set by the WHO.