A pager beeps, signaling to the trauma team that a patient is on the way.
If you were observing a well-run trauma team in an emergency room working together to effectively assess and manage a trauma patient in life-threatening condition, you’d notice something that might seem counterintuitive: it’s relatively calm.
Team members aren’t shouting over one another. They’re not frantic. They’re not disorganized. They’re not agitated.
The multidisciplinary team’s response isn’t chaotic; it’s coordinated.
In the face of uncertainty and life-or-death situations, a number of things underpin a trauma team’s ability to work together effectively, quickly, and methodically:
- Egos are checked at the emergency room door.
- Team members are aligned on the objective to stabilize the patient’s vital signs, to assess the severity of their injuries, and to coordinate the critical first steps of the patient’s care.
- Priorities are clear and shared: ABCs (airway, breathing, circulation) come first.
- Roles and responsibilities are clearly defined and team members are competent in the key skills for which they are responsible.
- While no two trauma scenarios are exactly alike, the team is prepared as best they can be and team members are practiced.
- Good team communication is facilitated by the use of clear and concise statements along with closed loop communication.
- New information is shared as it becomes available.
- Team members ask for help and clarification as required.
- Team members support each other.
- Team members respect and trust one another.
A team’s capacity to be calm in the storm doesn’t happen by accident. It comes from leadership, training, mindset, and practice.
What teamwork lessons might your team learn from trauma teams, especially when it comes to navigating uncertainty and crisis?
