Stresses affecting surgical performance and learning
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TL;DR
Operative performance and cardiac response (heart rate and electrocardiograms) were evaluated in surgical personnel during 33 operations and this approach appears to offer a method for studying the relationship between stress, surgical performance and the learning of surgical skills.
Abstract
Operative performance and cardiac response (heart rate and electrocardiograms) were evaluated in surgical personnel during 33 operations. These were recorded on videotapes for subsequent analysis. Fatigue and operative difficulty were associated with tachycardia in susceptible personnel. Operative performance was impaired during the former with probable impaired learning. Likewise when performance difficulties arose during surgery, the instructor joining the "scrubbed team" provided a more meaningful learning environment than did his sideline advice. This approach appears to offer a method for studying the relationship between stress, surgical performance and the learning of surgical skills.