Improving Surgical Ward Care

Abstract

OBJECTIVE: To develop a toolkit that covers the clinical, nontechnical, and empathic skills required for effective, safe surgical ward care. BACKGROUND: Despite the explosion of interest in patient safety, little attention has been placed on the skill set required for safe and effective surgical ward care. Currently, there is a lack of a systematic approach to improving ward care via assessing and improving residents' ward care skills. METHODS: A comprehensive evidence-based and expert-derived toolkit was developed, including a novel clinical checklist for ward care (Clinical Skills Assessment for Ward Care: C-SAW-C); a novel team assessment scale for wards rounds (Teamwork Skills Assessment..