The place of error in the teaching field of heart surgery

Introduction

Surgical error is a difficult subject to address in our current society that wants to leave no place for it. However, our human condition makes it impossible to disappear.

Objective

This study mainly focuses on the management of a serious adverse event happening in the operating room to dwindle collateral damage, particularly in the field of teaching.

Methods

The questionnaire was developed in a constructive manner. Face-to-face interviews with voluntary and informed practitioners from different institutions and position were conducted. These interviews were all transcribed and analyzed as part of a heuristic approach. Based on the recent literature, the iterative deductive-inductive text analysis was respected. The verbatim thematic grid has evolved according to the progress of the text study.

Results

Nine interviews were carried out (7/9 face-to-face, 2/9 via digital interaction), transcribed and analyzed. The practitioners median age is 54 years old. Six out of nine expressed a serious adverse event leading to death and all expressed its unexpected nature. The reported facts included a distance of time (5/9), and/or person (2/9). The most expressed personal impact apart from an unpleasant experience feeling, is the more or less important, facts rumination (7/9) to analyze and at the same time hoping to undo what has been done. All expressed a desire to verbalize explanation of the facts motivated by the distinction between guilt and responsibility. Everyone appreciated the questionnaire approach (Table 1).

Conclusion

The abilities to manage a serious adverse event in the operating room are very internalized and essentially mobilized to avoid it. The use of these capacities for educational purposes to manage fear and the encystment of these unpleasant experiences does not yet seem successful. This approach would also allow us to remain vigilant regarding the construction of different sophisms.