The Surgical Technologist's Perception of Teamwork and the Culture of Safety in the Operating Room

摘要

While a small number of studies have included the surgical technologists in varying perspectives, fewer have looked exclusively at this member of the surgical team. The purpose of this study was to identify and analyze the surgical technologist's perception of the extent and nature of the relationship between the culture of safety and the following factors: (a) teamwork, (b) communication, (c) continuous training, (d) error reporting, (e) non-punitive environment, (f) resources, (g) expertise, and (h) safety as a priority. The aim of this study was to validate a path analysis model that explained the direct and indirect effects among and between each of the above factors.;The cross-sectional survey study used a convenience sample of 167 practicing surgical technologists. Data collection tools consisted of the Teamwork and Patient Safety Attitude Questionnaire and the Hospital Survey on Patient Safety Culture. Descriptive statistics and path analysis were used in data analysis. Communication and resources, were statistically significant predictors of teamwork, R2 = .33, F (4, 162) = 19.78, p < .001 while safety as a priority and expertise were not statistically significant predictors of teamwork. The direct effects and significant predictors of culture of safety were continuous training (beta = .37), teamwork (beta = .57), and resources (beta = .32). The remaining independent variables in the hypothesized path analysis were not statistically significant, indicating they were not related to culture of safety.