Capstone research projects database
The Capstone research project is where students work on real-world issues.
See the Capstone projects TRP students have worked on over the years.
What’s in a name: Improving familiarity and trust in dynamic interprofessional operating room teams
This study explores how name familiarity among operating room team members improves communication, trust, and teamwork, and identifies interventions to enhance these connections.
Background
Healthcare is delivered in teams. Quality healthcare depends on teamwork and communications between individuals in a team. The operating room (OR) is a challenging place for teamwork because people work dynamically with uncertain schedule changes and variable team members. Teams are also wearing masks, gowns and caps, which makes it hard to recognize who is in the room. To improve teamwork, introducing each person by their name and role was suggested. We were interested in understanding how knowing the names of team members impacted how they work together. We wanted to examine current interventions and innovations that support name familiarity in the OR. Methods
We interviewed nurses, anesthesiologists, anesthesia assistants and surgeons in an academic hospital. To analyze our data, we applied definitions of Trust (Confidence in systems, Swift Trust based on a role, Individuated Trust based on a specific person) to understand our results and created a framework for describing how people experience names and familiarity in the OR team. Based on participants’ experiences of familiarity and trust, we summarized the needs and values of OR team members to identify interventions and implementation strategies to address current gaps. Results
The use of names helped people to communicate directly and more efficiently. In the long run, names helped people to remember each other and how to work well together by establishing trust between individuals. Names also impacted how people felt about teamwork including feelings of belonging, respect and humanity, which created trust in the team. A total of 35 interventions were identified and analyzed including novel ideas that could be further developed. Current interventions are effective for establishing Swift Trust. Team members preferred interpersonal communications and appreciated individual efforts to adapt to unfamiliarity. Conclusions
Names in dynamic teams were perceived to be more effective for team communications while also providing a foundation to build trust between team members. Although current interventions enable team function, longterm trust and changes in the attitudes and culture of the OR may improve the team environment.
Project team
- Tobi Lam
TRP supervisors
Project advisory committee
- Jacob Hirsh
- Melanie Hammond Mobilio
- Dean Lising
See our community directory for more on committee members.