4.1. Communication efficiency
Failures in the transmission of information and communication are common
in surgical practice. Therefore, a review of published literature data
is performed using Medline, Embase, PsycINFO, ScienceDirect, and
interviews with surgical team members.
Different communication patterns are identified in surgical
teams.38 Information transfer can be different in
manner and tension level among team members. The way of information
transfer is defined by the number of team members, communication
channels, team members and their roles, and events during surgical
operations (normal or emergency activities). Communication before
operation can be very helpful in avoiding errors during operations. Many
authors emphasize that the lack of communication before operation and
ineffective communication during operation are the most important causes
of errors during surgical operations. Therefore, the research on
efficient communication patterns during surgical operations is important
because these patterns enable the formation of standardized
communication, through checklists, forms, and technological innovation,
which improves the quality of transmission and communication in surgical
operating rooms.
Lingard et al. identified the following key factors causing problems
during communication in the OR: problems with timing; insufficient or
inadequate information; unidentified goals; inadequate group composition
causing decreased collaboration and communication
tension.15
Team performance in surgery is increasingly seen as crucial for safety.
Through the analysis of data, three themes are created that illustrate
communication culture of team work in surgery: „building shared
understandings through open communication“, „managing contextual
stressors in a hierarchical environment“, and „intermittent membership
influences team performance“.39 In creating a
security culture in a health organization, the optimal results of the
team rely on open discussion on team work and team expectations, and
significantly depend on how organizational culture promotes such
discussion.
Inadequate communication and team factors are the main causes of errors
during surgical operations.15,40,41 The development of
different methodological approaches in recent years has significantly
improved research on communication in teamwork in health care. These
studies are supported by studies that investigate causes of adverse
events and impact of better communication of team work on the prevention
of these events, quality of communication by health service providers
and various forms of communication, coordination and leadership that
support effective teamwork.42 Future research should
be based on the development of new valid research tools that form and
quantify research results, and not just descriptive explanations.