The impact of team familiarity and surgical experience on operative efficiency: a retrospective analysis

Summary Objectives The independent impact of individual surgical experience and team familiarity on surgical performance has been widely studied; however, the interplay of these factors and their relative, quantified, contributions to performance is poorly understood. We determined the impact of team familiarity and surgeon, and cumulative team experience on operative efficiency in total knee replacement. Design Retrospective analysis of all total knee replacements conducted at the host institution in 1996–2009. Multivariate generalised-estimating-equation regression models were used to adjust for patient risk and clustering. Setting Tertiary care academic hospital. Participants All patients undergoing TKR at the host institution in 1996–2009. Main outcome measure Operative efficiency. Results A total of 4276 total knee replacements were completed by 1163 different surgical teams. The median experience level was 17.6 years for consultant surgeons and 3.7 years for trainee surgeons. After patient-risk adjustment, consultant surgical experience (p