Non-technical skills for surgeons: challenges and opportunities for cardiothoracic surgery

摘要

In their review, Casali comprehensively describe the potential of non-technical skills for surgeons (NOTSS) in thoracic surgery ( ). While illustrating the contemporary growing focus on patient safety mechanisms within the medical care framework, the authors conclude with an often overlooked yet vital component of surgical care: NOTSS. Patient outcomes have traditionally been associated with surgeons technical skills (how well does one operate), institutional volume (how much can one operate), and patient factors (how well does one rehabilitate/recover). Non-operative skills, or so-called “soft skills”, have rarely been taken into consideration until a few years ago. It has become clearly evident that human factors play an integral role in influencing patient outcomes, responsible for up to 60% of surgery-related adverse events ( ). NOTSS builds upon established frameworks of situation awareness, decision making, communication and teamwork, and leadership skills to enhance team communication in the operating room and, accordingly, reduce the occurrence of preventable adverse or ‘failure to rescue’ events ( ). While the authors describe new avenues for NOTSS implementation in thoracic surgery, limited knowledge and implementation thereof exists within cardiothoracic surgery as a whole to date.