Patient safety and human factors: action on teamwork

Tools and interventions

Healthcare teams can pose particular challenges in that they are often fluid rather than fixed. Tools used by high reliability organisations with similar team issues, such as civil aviation, have attracted interest (Flin 2009). One training method that addresses teamwork is called Crew Resource Management and this is informing the use of tools in the healthcare environment (Carthey and Clarke 2009).

This type of training is informed by evidence that shows that many adverse events arise from failings in behavioural (non-technical) aspects of performance rather than technical competence. These skills are social and thinking skills that combine with technical skills for safe and effective care. Crew Resource Management and programmes like it, look at thinking skills and social and interpersonal skills, namely communication and teamwork (NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement 2010).

Scrub Practitioners' List of Intraoperative Skills (SPLINTS)

The SPLINTS behavioural rating system is designed to provide a framework and a common language for discussing and training non-technical skills. "Incorporating training and assessment in non-technical skills should increase the likelihood of high level scrub practitioner performance over time" (University of Aberdeen and NHS Education for Scotland c2011, p.2).

References

These resources were last accessed on 25 March 2013. Some of them are in PDF format - see how to access PDF files.

Carthey J and Clarke J (2010) The "how to guide" for implementing human factors in healthcare (PDF 323.4KB) , London: Patient Safety First.

Flin R et al. (2009) Human factors in patient safety: review of topic and tools. Report for Methods and Measures Working Group of WHO Patent Safety (PDF 424KB), Geneva: World Health Organization.

NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement (2010) Human factors training in the National Health Service: a scoping study, Warwick: NHS Institute. Available on the NHS Institute website at Safer care: human factors.  

University of Aberdeen and NHS Education for Scotland (2011) Scrub Practitioners' List of Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills (SPLINTS), University of Aberdeen. For details of the handbook and how to obtain a copy see the University's website at SPLINTS. 

Go to: Human factors - teamwork.

See also information about other human factors and interventions.