Short summary

An interdisciplinary parallel study of how to reduce adverse events in healthcare through training of non-technical skills for healthcare personnel - such as teamwork and communication training. The project consists of two PhD-studies; one with a social science perspective (this project) and one with a health science perspective. The project is funded by Sygehus Sønderjylland, Odense University Hospital and University of Southern Denmark.

Rationale

Background: 

Adverse events in healthcare often occur due to healthcare personnel's insufficient non-technical skills. However, prevention of these events is often addressed by providing the healthcare personnel with information out of the context of the actual clinical ecosystem.

Aim: 

The development of fundamental knowledge on the path from non-technical skills training to better performance in the hospital clinic with special emphasize on improvements in medication practices. The project uses the concept of 'organizational ecology' (medication as an ecosystem) to trace how the medication interactions changes as a consequence of in situ simulation training. 

Method: 

An ethnographic study of healthcare personnel's non-technical skills before, during and after participating in a simulation-training-course. The project seeks uses observational participation methods with subsequent video analysis at four hospital wards, two at Sygehus Sønderjylland and two at Odense University hospital. 

Outcome: 

The project develops fundamental knowledge on how personnel's non-technical skills is related to medication and if this relationship can be improved through simulation training. The goal is to understand how non-technical skills training should be conducted in order to ensure transfer of learning to clinical practice.

Supervisors:

Main supervisor: 

Sune Vork Steffensen, professor, Centre for Human Interactivity, Institut for kommunikation, SDU.  

Secondary supervisors:

Lise Hounsgaard, professor, OPEN, Klinisk institut, Det Sundhedsvidenskabelige Fakultet, SDU & Docent, University College Lillebælt.

Christian Backer Mogensen, professor, Specialeansvarlig overlæge, Fælles Akut Modtagelse, Sygehus Sønderjylland, Aabenraa

Description of the cohort

Hospital staff at four different department is studied.

Data and biological material

Data consists of ethnographical video-data and field notes.

Collaborating researchers and departments

• Intensivafdeling, Odense University Hospital
• Intensivafdeling, Sygehus Sønderjylland
• FAM, Sygehus Sønderjylland
• Infektionsmedicinsk afdeling, Odense University Hospital

• Research partner Lotte Abildgreen, PhD-student