• Dimitrios Siassakos, Katherine Bristowe, Helen Hambly, Jo Angouri, Joanna F Crofts, Catherine Winter, Linda P Hunt, and Timothy J Draycott.
• Southmead Hospital Westbury on Trym, Bristol, UK. jsiasakos@gmail.com
• Simul Healthc. 2011 Jun 1;6(3):143-9.

IntroductionPatient satisfaction is an important healthcare outcome and communication with clinical staff is an important determinant. Simulation could identify problems and inform corrective action to improve patient experience.MethodsOne hundred eight randomly selected maternity professionals in 18 teams were videoed managing a patient-actor with a simulated emergency. The trained patient-actor assessed the quality of staff-patient interaction. Clinicians scored teams for their teamwork skills and behaviors.ResultsThere was significant variation in staff-patient interaction, with some teams not having exchanged a single word and others striving to interact with the patient-actor in the heat of the emergency. There was significant correlation between patient-actor perceptions of communication, respect, and safety and individual and team behaviors: number, duration, and content of communication episodes, as well as generic teamwork skills and teamwork behaviors. The patient-actor perception of safety was better when the content of the communication episodes with them included certain items of information, but most teams failed to communicate these to the patient-actor.ConclusionSome aspects of staff-patient interaction and teamwork during management of a simulated emergency varied significantly and were often inadequate in this study, indicating a need for better training of individuals and teams.

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