Polytrauma Patients and Non-technical Skills

Polytrauma patients are a high-risk group for mortality and morbidity during the perioperative period due to multiple organ injuries and the associated physiological instability. The management of anaesthesia during surgical procedures for these patients requires not only advances technical knowledge and practical skills, but also non-technical skills such as the ability to make quick and accurate decisions, situations, awareness, effective communucation, the abibility to work under pressure, and team coordination. The literature indicates that deficiencies in non-technical skills can result in serious clinical errors. Furthermore, it has been demostrated that a substantial proportion of human errors originate from discriptions to communication, situational awareness, and decision-making process. However, the identification, evaluation, and development of non-technical skills in anaesthetic management of polytrauma patients has become a fundamental component of current anaesthesia training programmes. Therefore, this study aims to examine the experience of anaesthesia residents in approching polytrauma patients using a phenomenological approach. The study also aims to identify differences in these skills among recidency years. The study will focus on rapid decision-making, situational awareness, communucation and leadership.

Inclusion criteria

• being an anaesthesia resident
• having participated in the anaesthesia management of polytrauma patient within the last six months
• having agreed to participate in the study

Exclusion criteria

• declining to give written informed consent
• being within the first three months of the anaesthesia residency programme
• not having participated in the surgery of a polytrauma patient within the last six months
• taking mood-related medication