ABSTRACT
Non-technical skills are the cognitive and social skills that underpin knowledge and expertise in high demand workplaces. Non-technical skills in surgery have to date been appreciated for their importance in an intuitive rather than an explicit fashion. There are many factors which will influence a surgeon’s intraoperative performance, sound surgical technique and good manual dexterity. As elective surgery and emergency surgery differ on a variety of counts, non-technical skills are applied and utilized differently by the surgeon under the different circumstances. The performance of a surgeon and the skill level displayed are dependent on and influenced by a wide range of factors. In the day-to-day performance of surgery, more mundane responsibilities exist for the surgeon and the flow of patients through the operating room and completion of the operating list on time is a regular source of challenge. The chapter also presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book.
