Team dynamics in emergency surgery teams: results from a first international survey

• Main Authors: Lorenzo Cobianchi, Francesca Dal Mas, Maurizio Massaro, Paola Fugazzola, Federico Coccolini, Yoram Kluger, Ari Leppäniemi, Ernest E. Moore, Massimo Sartelli, Peter Angelos, Luca Ansaloni, the Team Dynamics Study Group
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2021-09-01
• Series: World Journal of Emergency Surgery
• Subjects: Trauma teams; Knowledge translation; Team dynamics; Non-technical skills; Trauma leaders
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13017-021-00389-6

Abstract Background Emergency surgery represents a unique context. Trauma teams are often multidisciplinary and need to operate under extreme stress and time constraints, sometimes with no awareness of the trauma’s causes or the patient’s personal and clinical information. In this perspective, the dynamics of how trauma teams function is fundamental to ensuring the best performance and outcomes. Methods An online survey was conducted among the World Society of Emergency Surgery members in early 2021. 402 fully filled questionnaires on the topics of knowledge translation dynamics and tools, non-technical skills, and difficulties in teamwork were collected. Data were analyzed using the software R, and reported following the Checklist for Reporting Results of Internet E-Surveys (CHERRIES). Results Findings highlight how several surgeons are still unsure about the meaning and potential of knowledge translation and its mechanisms. Tools like training, clinical guidelines, and non-technical skills are recognized and used in clinical practice. Others, like patients’ and stakeholders’ engagement, are hardly implemented, despite their increasing importance in the modern healthcare scenario. Several difficulties in working as a team are described, including the lack of time, communication, training, trust, and ego. Discussion Scientific societies should take the lead in offering training and support about the abovementioned topics. Dedicated educational initiatives, practical cases and experiences, workshops and symposia may allow mitigating the difficulties highlighted by the survey’s participants, boosting the performance of emergency teams. Additional investigation of the survey results and its characteristics may lead to more further specific suggestions and potential solutions.