The Functions of Team Monitoring and ‘Talking to the Room’ for Performance in Anesthesia Teams

Abstract

We explored the functions of team monitoring and talking to the room (undirected talk to relay relevant information or comment on the performance of real-time self behavior) for effects on team interaction and performance in 27 anesthesia teams in the clinical setting. Immediate reactions to team monitoring and talking to the room were investigated by means of lag sequential analysis. As expected, we found that in high performing teams, immediate consequences of team monitoring were speaking-up and providing unsolicited assistance. Talking to the room led to further talking to the room and substituted explicit coordination. The results highlight the relevance of team monitoring and talking to the room for team coordination and performance in dynamic healthcare environments.