• Maximilian J Johnston, Sonal Arora, Philip H Pucher, Niall McCartan, Yannis Reissis, Prem Chana, and Ara Darzi.
• *Department of Surgery and Cancer, Imperial Patient Safety Translational Research Centre, London, UK †Department of Surgery and Cancer, London, UK ‡School of Medicine, Imperial College London, London, UK.
• Ann. Surg. 2016 Mar 1; 263 (3): 421-6.

ObjectiveThis study aimed to determine whether an intervention could improve the escalation of care skills of junior surgeons.Summary Background DataEscalation of care involves the recognition, communication, and response to patient deterioration until a satisfactory outcome has been achieved. Although failure to escalate care can lead to increased morbidity and mortality, there is no formal training in how to perform this vital process safely.MethodsThis randomized controlled trial recruited postgraduate year (PGY)-1 and PGY-2 surgeons to participate in 2 scenarios involving simulated patients requiring escalation of care. A control group performed both scenarios before receiving the intervention; the intervention group received the educational intervention before their second scenario. Scenarios were video recorded and rated by 2 independent, blinded assessors using validated scales to measure patient assessment, communication, management and nontechnical skills of participants, and the number of medical errors they detected.ResultsA total of 33 PGY-1 and PGY-2 surgeons, all with equivalent skill at baseline, participated. Postintervention, the intervention group demonstrated significantly better patient assessment (P < 0.001), communication (P < 0.001), and nontechnical skills (P < 0.001). They also detected more medical errors (P < 0.05).ConclusionsTeaching junior surgeons a systematic approach to escalation of care improved multiple core skills required to maintain patient safety and avoid preventable harm.

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