Communication and information transfer in the operating theatre: a multi-method study of information processing in surgical teams

Project summary

Communication in the OR

Effective surgical team work is fundamental to delivery of safe, high quality care. Research has being carried out in North America on communication and information transfer processes in operating rooms (OR). However, until recently there was little empirical research on the topic within the UK. In addition, most of the existing research is qualitative; quantitative assessments of communication processes in ORs is lacking.

This project aims to address this gap in the evidence base. A multidisciplinary team of psychologists and surgeons carried out multiple studies examining information and communication needs and patterns in ORs in the UK.

Aims

The project aims:

To identify information needs, weaknesses and effective practices in communication processing and integration of information in current OR systems
To compare information transfer paths and volumes within ORs, comparing conventional open surgery with laparoscopic surgery.
To examine the impact of various factors (e.g., stress and time pressure) on quantity and quality of information exchanged among OR team-members.

Project team

Charles Vincent (Principal Investigator)
Nick Sevdalis (Key project contact)
George Hanna
Helen Wong

Project outputs

Peer-reviewed papers

Benn J, Healey AN, Hollnagel E. Improving performance reliability in surgical systems. Cognition, Technology and Work 2008;10:323-33. Link
Healey AN. Speculation on the neuropsychology of teleoperation: implications for presence research and minimally invasive surgery. Presence: Teleoperators and Virtual Environments 2008;17:199-211. Link
Healey AN, Benn J. Teamwork enables remote surgical control and a new model for a surgical system emerges. Cognition, Technology and Work 2009;11:255-65. Link
Healey AN, Catchpole K, Yule S. Enhancing surgical systems. Cognition, Technology and Work 2008;10:251-4. Link
Healey AN, Olsen S, Davies R, Vincent CA. A method for measuring work-interference in surgical teams. Cognition, Technology and Work 2008;10:305-12. Link
Healey AN, Nagpal K, Moorthy K, Vincent CA. Engineering the system of communication for safer surgery. Cognition, Technology and Work 2011;13:1-10. Link
Nagpal K, Vats A, Lamb B, Ashrafian H, Sevdalis N, Vincent C, Moorthy K. Information transfer and communication in surgery: a systematic review. Annals of Surgery 2010;252:225-39. Pubmed
Wong HWL, Forrest D, Healey A, Shirafkan H, Hanna GB, Vincent CA, Sevdalis N. Information needs in operating room teams: what is right, what is wrong, and what is needed? Surgical Endoscopy 2011. Pubmed

Conference presentations, invited talks

Wong, HWL. Information Needs in Surgical Teams. Presentation at the North British Patient Safety Research Symposium. Aberdeen, UK (2009).
Wong, HWL. Multi-disciplinary Team Communications in Surgery: A Quantitative Analysis. Presentation at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference. Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK (2010).
Wong, HWL. Information Needs in Surgical teams. Presentation at the British Psychological Society Annual Conference. Stratford-Upon-Avon, UK (2010).
Wong, HWL. Quantitative Mapping of Intra-Operative and Inter-Disciplinary Communication in the Operating Room. Poster presentation at ISQUA. Paris, France (2010).
Wong, HWL. Information Needs in Surgical Teams. Poster presentation at ISQUA Paris, France(2010).