assessing non-technical skills in iranian orthopedic surgeons: an observational study

Background & objective: non-technical skills are critical for patient safety and good surgical outcomes. thus, surgeons should master these skills. this study aimed to assess non-technical skills among iranian orthopedic surgeons. materials & methods: this cross-sectional study was conducted in two orthopedic surgery wards in 2019. a total of 22 orthopedic surgeons were observed in this survey. the data were collected using non-technical skills for surgeons (notss) through observing and recording events during surgeries. results: “leadership” was the best non-technical skill with score of 3.14 out of 4, while “communication and teamwork” had the lowest score (3.02 out of 4). there was a significant relationship between work experience and “projecting and anticipating future state” (p=0.009). conclusion: the studied orthopedic surgeons showed acceptable non-technical skills. however, poor behaviors were observed in some domains. educational programs, policymaking interventions, and supervision can improve the surgeons’ non-technical skills.