Team Communication

Purpose

This document provides guidance for improving perioperative team communication by developing a culture of safety that incorporates team training, standardized transfer of patient information (commonly referred to as hand overs or hand offs), briefings, time outs, surgical safety checklists (SSCs), and debriefings. The operating room (OR) is a high-risk sociotechnical environment with various professionals working in close proximity, and effective team communication in the perioperative and procedural environment is the foundation of optimal patient outcomes. Perioperative RNs play a crucial role in facilitating communication among the interdisciplinary team. Effective team communication in the perioperative and procedural environment is supported by

• a strong culture of safety and clear communication of behavioral expectations;

• structured hand-off processes, briefings, and debriefings that are tailored to the organization, team, and patient;

• effective use of structured SSCs that are tailored to the organization, team, and patient;

• education in the form of team training with a focus on human factors that influence team communication; and

• quality assurance and performance improvement initiatives focused on human factors research and development of effective nontechnical skills (NTS).

The following topics are outside the scope of this document: workplace violence, bullying, incivility, and workplace safety. Although disruptive behavior is mentioned in the description of the literature, guidance for addressing disruptive behavior is also outside the scope of this document.