Exploring safe work practices in surgical operations—the role of time patient and operation

This article focuses on identifying elements of the individual&s;s and team&s;s ability to conduct and complete operations with a minimum of complications, defined as safe work practices. Based on a content analysis of 15 semi-structured interviews with Operating Room (OR) personnel, safe work practices are identified as comprised of (i) the individual&s;s ability to disregard stress/pressure and apply the time and considerations necessary to the job properly, (ii) the individual&s;s ability to sense and communicate patient-related problems, enhanced by the specialized patient focus, and (iii) the team&s;s reliance on the individual&s;s competency and ability to both plan and improvise, when challenged during an operation . In conclusion, the findings contribute to fill the current gap in knowledge on the particular nature of team work within the health care context, and specifically the surgical OR setting. The findings also suggest that future studies should look into the relevance and potential duality of time in surgical operations.