Why saying what you mean matters: An analysis of trauma team communication

Hee Soo Jung; Charles Warner-Hillard; Ryan Thompson; Krista Haines; Brooke Moungey; Anne LeGare; David Williamson Shaffer; Carla Pugh; Suresh Agarwal; Sarah Sullivan

doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2017.11.008

Why saying what you mean matters: An analysis of trauma team communication

Am J Surg. 2018 Feb;215(2):250-254. doi: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2017.11.008. Epub 2017 Nov 8.

Affiliations

¹ Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA. Electronic address: jung@surgery.wisc.edu.
² Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA.
³ Department of Emergency Medicine, University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, USA.
⁴ University of Wisconsin Hospital and Clinics, Madison, WI, USA.
⁵ Department of Educational Psychology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Education, Madison, WI, USA.

PMID: 29153980
DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2017.11.008

Abstract

Background: We hypothesized that team communication with unmatched grammatical form and communicative intent (mixed mode communication) would correlate with worse trauma teamwork.

Methods: Interdisciplinary trauma simulations were conducted. Team performance was rated using the TEAM tool. Team communication was coded for grammatical form and communicative intent. The rate of mixed mode communication (MMC) was calculated. MMC rates were compared to overall TEAM scores. Statements with advisement intent (attempts to guide behavior) and edification intent (objective information) were specifically examined. The rates of MMC with advisement intent (aMMC) and edification intent (eMMC) were also compared to TEAM scores.

Results: TEAM scores did not correlate with MMC or eMMC. However, aMMC rates negatively correlated with total TEAM scores (r = -0.556, p = 0.025) and with the TEAM task management component scores (r = -0.513, p = 0.042).

Conclusions: Trauma teams with lower rates of mixed mode communication with advisement intent had better non-technical skills as measured by TEAM.

Keywords: Communication; Non-technical skills; Simulation; Speech acts; Trauma; Verbal response modes.

MeSH terms

Clinical Competence*
Humans
Interprofessional Relations*
Leadership
Patient Care Team*
Resuscitation*
Traumatology
Verbal Behavior*