• Amy L Halverson, Jennifer L Andersson, Karen Anderson, Justin Lombardo, Christine S Park, Alfred W Rademaker, and Don W Moorman.
• Department of Surgery, Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University, Chicago, IL 60611, USA. ahalverson@nmff.org
• Arch Surg. 2009 Feb 1; 144 (2): 107-12.

ObjectivesTo develop and implement a team-training curriculum. We hypothesized that better interactions between personnel would lead to improved patient safety, increased efficiency, and better staff satisfaction.DesignProspective assessment of a team-training program.SettingUniversity-affiliated hospital.ParticipantsOperating room physicians, nurses, technicians, and other personnel.InterventionsFour-hour classroom curriculum, intraoperative coaching on team-related behaviors, and follow-up feedback sessions.Main Outcome MeasuresBaseline metrics and observational data were collected for 3 months before implementing the team-training program and 6 months after a designated implementation date. A questionnaire regarding perceptions of teamwork was completed at the beginning of and 6 weeks following the team-training classroom session.ResultsSix months after implementation of team training, compliance with preoperative briefings was 66%. No changes in hospital metrics were observed. An improved perception of teamwork among the participants was demonstrated in pretraining and posttraining surveys. Perceptions of teamwork and the utility of a preoperative briefing differed among nurses, surgeons, and anesthesiologists.ConclusionsOur team-training program resulted in moderate compliance with behaviors taught in the curriculum. Even with only moderate compliance, we demonstrated improved perceptions of teamwork.

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