Complications – Surgeons' Worst Enemy & Best Teacher (2021 Annual Meeting)-Complications

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this University of Nebraska presentation for ICL 205, Matt Tao leads a candid discussion on managing surgical complications, emphasizing that complications are inevitable and a vital learning opportunity. The session aims to foster open dialogue about complications, their emotional impact, and strategies for effective response. Tao underscores the difference between knowledge and wisdom, highlighting that experience and humility are crucial for handling adverse events. The panel, including experts from Columbia, Oregon, and Duke, shares insights on intraoperative tactics like staying calm, prioritizing tasks, pausing briefly, focusing, and asking for help to mitigate complications. They stress the importance of team communication, building relationships with staff, and addressing complications collaboratively. Postoperative management involves owning responsibility without self-blame, providing empathetic patient care, and involving mentors or colleagues when necessary. The talk also covers how to cultivate continuous improvement and resilience, drawing from leadership and psychological literature on grit, mindset, and deliberate practice. Finally, they discuss the challenges in fostering a positive operating room culture and coaching surgeons with difficult interpersonal dynamics. Overall, the session encourages surgeons to embrace complications as growth moments, support their teams, and maintain patient-centered care despite setbacks.

Asset Caption

Dr. Matthew Tao

Keywords

surgical complications

complication management

intraoperative tactics

team communication

postoperative care

resilience in surgery

operating room culture

surgeon coaching