Moving beyond teamwork in the operating room to facilitating mutual professional respect

Abstract

Psychological safety enables the interpersonal risk-taking necessary for providing safer patient care in the operating room (OR). Limited studies look at psychological safety in the OR from the perspectives of each highly specialized team member. Therefore, we investigated each member’s perspective on the factors that influence psychological safety in the OR. Interviews were conducted with operative team members of a level 1 trauma center in central Texas. The interviews were transcribed, de-identified, and coded by two investigators independently, and thematic analysis was performed. Responses were collected from 21 participants representing all surgical team roles (attending surgeons, attending anesthesiologists, circulating nurses, nurse anesthetists, scrub techs, and residents). Circulating nurse responses were redacted for confidentiality (n = 1). Six major themes influencing psychological safety in the OR were identified. Psychological safety is essential to better, safer patient care. Establishing a climate of mutual respect and suspended judgment in an OR safe for learning will lay the foundation for achieving psychological safety in the OR. Team exercises in building rapport and mutual understanding are important starting points.