Study design, population and measurements
In a mixed-method study, we aimed to evaluate the long-term (5 years) effects of perioperative briefing and debriefing on team climate. The study was carried out among surgical staff members at a tertiary care university hospital with 593-bed capacity in the Netherlands.16
We included eight surgical teams: cardiothoracic surgery (CTS), general surgery (GS), ear-nose-throat surgery (ENT)/oral and maxillofacial surgery (OMF), orthopaedic surgery (ORTHO), neurosurgery (NES)/plastic surgery (PLS), eye surgery (EYS), urology (URO) and obstetrics/gynaecology (OB/GYN). These surgical teams represent the entire operating theatre. The surgical teams are mostly consistent during the day and consist of the following staff: surgeon, surgical resident, fellow surgeon, anaesthesiologist, anaesthesiology resident, OR assistant and anaesthetic assistant.