Source: PLOS ONE 10/9 e0138490
Date of publication: September 2015
Publication type: Journal article
In a nutshell: This study investigated the effectiveness of combining teamwork training and lean process improvement, two distinct approaches to improving surgical safety. A controlled interrupted time series study was conducted in a specialist UK Orthopaedic hospital incorporating a plastic surgery team (which received the intervention) and an Orthopaedic theatre team acting as a control. The study found that combining teamwork training and systems improvement enhanced both technical and non-technical operating team process measures, and were associated with a trend to better safety outcome measures in a controlled study comparison. The authors suggest that approaches which address both system and culture dimensions of safety may prove valuable in reducing risks to patients.
Length of Publication: 1 web page