Surgeons' non-technical skills

Steven Yule; Simon Paterson-Brown

doi:10.1016/j.suc.2011.11.004

Surgeons' non-technical skills

Surg Clin North Am. 2012 Feb;92(1):37-50. doi: 10.1016/j.suc.2011.11.004. Epub 2011 Dec 28.

Authors

Steven Yule¹, Simon Paterson-Brown

Affiliation

¹ Department of Surgery, Harvard Medical School, 25 Shattuck Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA.

PMID: 22269259
DOI: 10.1016/j.suc.2011.11.004

Abstract

The importance of non-technical skills to surgical performance is gaining wide acceptance. This article discusses the core cognitive and social skills categories thought to underpin medical knowledge and surgical expertise, and describes the rise of non-technical skill models of assessment in surgery. Behavior rating systems such as NOTSS (Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons) have been developed to support education and assessment in this regard. We now understand more about these critical skills and how they impact surgery. The challenge in the future is to incorporate them into undergraduate teaching, postgraduate training, workplace assessment, and perhaps even selection.

Publication types

Review

MeSH terms

Clinical Competence*
General Surgery / standards*
Humans
Patient Safety
Risk Assessment
Risk-Taking
Surgical Procedures, Operative / standards*