Original ArticleThe Role of the Operating Room Nurse Manager in the Successful Implementation of Preoperative Briefings and Postoperative Debriefings in the VHA Medical Team Training Program
Section snippets
Materials and Methods
One hundred twenty-nine facilities underwent MTT during the national roll-out of the VHA MTT Program. This study includes 102 facilities (78% of total participants) that underwent medical team training between November 29, 2006, and April 29, 2009, in which complete preparation and planning records were available for review. The study was approved by the VHA Ann Arbor Research and Development Committee and Institutional Review Board.
The VHA MTT Program consists of three phases: (1) a
Results
The 102 facilities with evaluable preparation and planning data included close to 10,000 staff who underwent MTT (Table 1). The OR Nurse Manager participated in more preparation and planning conference calls than the Chiefs of Surgery or Anesthesiology. On average, OR Nurse Managers participated in two of the three planned calls in preparation for the briefings and debriefings project and learning session.
Facility engagement in the learning session was categorized as leadership involvement,
Discussion
Teamwork and communication problems are recognized causes of adverse events in the OR.1, 2, 3 The use of preoperative briefings guided by a checklist have been associated with improved teamwork and communication, fewer nontechnical and technical errors, and improved morbidity and mortality.4, 5, 6 Implementation of preoperative briefings and postoperative debriefings is the cornerstone of the VHA MTT program.7
The results of the current study demonstrate the success of the MTT program in the
Lori D. Robinson, MSN, RN, is Nurse Educator, Medical Team Training (MTT)
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Cited by (0)
Lori D. Robinson, MSN, RN, is Nurse Educator, Medical Team Training (MTT)
Douglas E. Paull, MD, is Co-Director MTT
Lisa M. Mazzia, MD, is Co-Director MTT
Lisa Falzetta, MS, RN, is Nurse Educator MTT
James Hay, MS, RN, is Nurse Educator MTT
Julia Neily, MS, MPH, RN, is Associate Director, White River Junction (WRJ) Field Office
Peter D. Mills, PhD, is Director, WRJ Field Office
Brian Carney, MD, is Patient Safety Physician, WRJ Field Office
James P. Bagian, MD, PE, is Chief Patient Safety Officer and Director, Veterans Health Administration National Center for Patient Safety, Ann Arbor, MI and White River Junction, VT.
The views expressed in this article are those of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the position or policy of the Department of Veterans Affairs.