Why saying what you mean matters: An analysis of trauma team communication

We hypothesized that team communication with unmatched grammatical form and communicative intent (mixed mode communication) would correlate with worse trauma teamwork. Interdisciplinary trauma simulations were conducted. Team performance was rated using the TEAM tool. Team communication was coded for grammatical form and communicative intent. The rate of mixed mode communication (MMC) was calculated. MMC rates were compared to overall TEAM scores. Statements with advisement intent (attempts to guide behavior) and edification intent (objective information) were specifically examined. The rates of MMC with advisement intent (aMMC) and edification intent (eMMC) were also compared to TEAM scores. TEAM scores did not correlate with MMC or eMMC. However, aMMC rates negatively correlated with total TEAM scores (r = −0.556, p = 0.025) and with the TEAM task management component scores (r = −0.513, p = 0.042). Trauma teams with lower rates of mixed mode communication with advisement intent had better non-technical skills as measured by TEAM. •Mixed mode communication, in which communicative intent differs from grammatical form, may lead to misunderstandings.•Mixed mode communication with advisement intent was negatively correlated with trauma team performance.•Decreasing mixed mode communication may be an important target for future interventions to improve trauma team performance.