ABSTRACT
This chapter presents a model of team situation awareness (SA) that describes the critical foundations upon which high levels of shared SA are developed in team environments, including the role of communications. A major portion of a healthcare provider's job is involved in developing SA and keeping it up to date in a rapidly changing environment. Shared SA devices are those that are used to share or communicate real-time dynamic information related to shared SA requirements. Shared SA mechanisms are internal mechanisms that aid the development of SA. Shared SA processes refers to specific processes that effective teams use to support the development of shared SA. A model of team SA also has a number of implications for training and assessment of healthcare teams. Measuring teamwork is important for assessing both the teamwork skills of individuals and teams and for assessing the effectiveness of interventions such as training programs, new equipment designs, or new team communication processes.
