%0 Journal Article
%T Correlates of non-technical skills in surgery: a prospective study
%A Brigid M Gillespie
%A Catherine Steel
%A Emma Harbeck
%A Evelyn Kang
%A Nicole Fairweather
%A Wendy Chaboyer
%J -
%D 2017
%R 10.1136/bmjopen-2016-014480
%X Background Communication and teamwork failures have frequently been identified as the root cause of adverse events and complications in surgery. Few studies have examined contextual factors that influence teams¡¯ non-technical skills (NTS) in surgery. The purpose of this prospective study was to identify and describe correlates of NTS.

Methods We assessed NTS of teams and professional role at 2 hospitals using the revised 23-item Non-TECHnical Skills (NOTECHS) and its subscales (communication, situational awareness, team skills, leadership and decision-making). Over 6£¿months, 2 trained observers evaluated teams¡¯ NTS using a structured form. Interobserver agreement across hospitals ranged from 86% to 95%. Multiple regression models were developed to describe associations between operative time, team membership, miscommunications, interruptions, and total NOTECHS and subscale scores.

Results We observed 161 surgical procedures across 8 teams. The total amount of explained variance in NOTECHS and its 5 subscales ranged from 14% (adjusted R2 0.12, p<0.001) to 24% (adjusted R2 0.22, p<0.001). In all models, inverse relationships between the total number of miscommunications and total number of interruptions and teams¡¯ NTS were observed.

Conclusions Miscommunications and interruptions impact on team NTS performance
%U https://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/7/1/e014480