SIMULATION BASED TEAMWORK TRAINING

Simulation based teamwork training has significant face validity. This is based on its success in high risk, high stakes organisations such as aviation. However, evidence that it has an impact in medicine is very limited. Simulation and teamwork experts base their support for team training on the prodigious circumstantial evidence that suggests improved performance is likely to benefit patients. So far there has been little evidence to link improvement in team behaviours with positive clinical outcomes. Organisational leaders have been slow to implement simulation based team training in hospitals. This investment must be justified by evidence of programmatic success in clinical error management. A preliminary investigation reported in this issue shows that realistic multiple emergency patient simulations can be conducted and supports the contention that simulation based training is likely to result in improved team behaviours in …