This prospective observational study evaluated different methods for assessing surgical teamwork and patient safety, comparing two traditional assessment tools (NOTECHS and TEAM) with a modified-SEIPS model. The research analyzed 50 consecutive surgical cases at a Canadian academic hospital using OR Black Box® recordings to understand each tool's effectiveness in providing feedback for teamwork improvement.

The study found that while NOTECHS and TEAM assessments showed consistently high teamwork scores, the modified-SEIPS approach revealed a more nuanced picture, capturing both optimal and suboptimal teamwork behaviors as well as team resilience. The researchers concluded that while traditional tools were useful for summative assessments, the SEIPS model provided deeper insights into teamwork processes and contextual factors, suggesting it could be particularly valuable for healthcare organizations seeking to develop more effective teamwork interventions.