​The requirement that all surgical staff introduce themselves prior to surgery is one of the most commonly missed items on the World Health Organization's surgical checklist, and hospitals in Australia are attempting to tackle the problem in a novel way, according to a December 13, 2017, article in the Sydney Morning Herald. Providers are writing their names and specialties in big bold letters on their caps so that patients and fellow staff members know who they are. Writing “Bob, anaesthesiologist" or “Beth, nurse," the article says, could reduce the chance that delays or misidentifications in which clinicians cannot recognize each other occur in the operating room. Clinicians work with a “revolving door" of coworkers, the article said, and, of course, in the operating theatre all but their eyes are obscured. The article said that “precious seconds, even minutes" can be lost during an operation when a clinician attempts to remember a coworker's name. Putting names and jobs on their headwear can also avoid a situation in which initiation of a critical task, such as beginning chest compressions on a patient with cardiac arrest, is delayed because no one was asked by name to perform the task. Patient satisfaction (the article specifically mentions women undergoing caesarean sections as potential beneficiaries) could also be improved by this effort, because patients will feel more comfortable knowing exactly who is who. Experts quoted in the article note that this won't lead to any dramatic change, however they see no downside to implementation.

HRC Recommends: Traditional hospital hierarchies that place frontline caregivers at the bottom and physicians at the top can hinder communication. Effective communication is best achieved in an environment in which all providers and staff work as a team. Studies have demonstrated that a team-based approach to care delivery can enhance communication and improve patient outcomes. When operating-room teams conduct a presurgery briefing to introduce all team members, they increase the likelihood that teams members will feel comfortable speaking up if they see a problem.