Inefficacy of simulator-based training on anaesthesiologists' non-technical skills

Background: Analysis of critical incidents in anaesthesia practice emphasizes the important role of non‐technical skills (NTS) in improving patient safety. Therefore, debriefing with regard to NTS has been added to medical management (MM) simulator training to improve acute crisis competencies of anaesthesiologists. The purpose of this study was to compare the NTS and MM performance of two groups of anaesthesiologists in a simulated anaesthesia crisis after undergoing different types of training. Methods: Forty‐two anaesthesiologists were randomly assigned to two different training groups, with each group participating in two simulation training sessions. One group's (NTS+MMG) training included extensive debriefing of NTS (resource management, planning, leadership and communication) and MM, while the other group (MMG) received a simpler debriefing that focused solely on MM. The quality and quantity of NTS and quality of MM performance were rated by reviewing the videotapes of the scenarios. Results: NTS+MMG did not prove superior to MMG with regard to behavioural and MM markers. The quality of NTS performances correlated significantly (P