Surgical Team Stability and Risk of Sharps-Related Blood and Body Fluid Exposures During Surgical Procedures

Abstract

Greater team stability may reduce the risk of percutaneous BBFE during surgical procedures, particularly for exposures involving devices other than suture needles. Additional research should be conducted on the basis of primary data gathered specifically to measure qualities of relationships among surgical team personnel.

Surgical Team Familiarity: An Integrative Review

“…We identified and removed duplicate articles during the screening process and reviewed the full text of the remaining articles for eligibility. The final sample comprised 16 studies, [21][22][23][28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38][39][40] of which 10 (63%) originated in the United States, 21,22,[28][29][30]35,36,[38][39][40] five (31%) originated in Australia, 23,31,32,34,37 and one (6%) originated in France. 33 The articles originating in Australia involved a common author.…”

“…33 The articles originating in Australia involved a common author. 23,31,32,34,37 The settings included academic medical centers, 21,23,[28][29][30][31][32][33][34][35][36][37][38] nonprofit hospitals, 39 community hospitals, 28 an academic children's medical center, 40 and a military treatment facility. 22 Researchers conducted four studies at multisite settings 28,32,34,39 and 12 studies at single sites.…”

“…22 Researchers conducted four studies at multisite settings 28,32,34,39 and 12 studies at single sites. 21,22,23,[29][30][31]33,[35][36][37]40 Investigators based their conclusions on an analysis of partial surgical teams 21,28,30,33,34,38 or all interprofessional surgical team members. 22,23,29,31,32,[35][36][37]39,40 Seven investigative teams published in surgical journals, 21,[28][29][30]33,39,40 five teams published in general health-related journals, 22,31,32,35,36 three teams published in nursing journals, 23,34,37 and one team published in an ergonomics journal.…”

“…Study Sidebar 1. Boolean Key Word Literature Search Terms design types included retrospective, 21,28,30,35,37,39,40 prospective observational, 23,[31][32][33][34]36,38 prospective cross-sectional, 22 and mixed-methods (ie, prospective observational with human factors theory). 29 Based on our review, no researchers conducted randomized clinical trials to compare the effect of conventional scheduling practices with scheduling interventions that incorporate familiarity on outcomes such as medical errors, clinical safety, length of stay, and cost.…”

Impact of First Assistant Surgeon Experience on the Perioperative Outcomes of Laparoscopic Hepatectomies

“…Team familiarity has been associated with better surgical performance, improved safety, reduced operative time, and fewer complications in open abdominal surgeries, inguinal hernia repairs, laparoscopic bariatric surgeries, total knee replacements, reduction mammoplasties, and breast reconstruction procedures. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9] Likewise, how experienced the surgical assistant(s) and the collective operative team are has also been found to influence operative efficiency and time, which may have a bearing on outcomes in higher risk patient profiles and procedures. 4,6,7,[9][10][11][12] In particular, concerns have been raised about performing complex laparoscopic surgeries with assistance from less experienced team members, such as residents, and whether this would negatively impact outcomes.…”