PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Fleming, Mark
AU  - Smith, Steven
AU  - Slaunwhite, Jason
AU  - Sullivan, John
TI  - Investigating interpersonal competencies of cardiac surgery teams
DP  - 2006 Feb 01
TA  - Canadian Journal of Surgery
PG  - 22--30
VI  - 49
IP  - 1
4099  - http://canjsurg.ca/content/49/1/22.short
4100  - http://canjsurg.ca/content/49/1/22.full
SO  - CAN J SURG2006 Feb 01; 49
AB  - Successful cardiac surgery requires highly skilled individuals to interact effectively in a variety of complex situations. Although cardiac surgery requires individuals to have the requisite medical knowledge and skills, interpersonal competencies are vital to any successful cardiac surgery. Surgeons, anesthesiologists, perfusionists, nurses and residents must communicate effectively in order to ensure a successful patient outcome. Breakdowns in communication, decision-making or leadership could lead to adverse patient outcomes. Realizing that human error is responsible for many adverse patient outcomes, we attempted to understand the team processes involved in cardiac surgery. An adaptation of the Operating Room Management Attitudes Questionnaire was used to gather a variety of responses related to group decision-making and communication. The results indicate inherent group differences based on factors such as seniority and occupational group membership. The implications of the research findings and suggestions for future research are discussed in detail.