The Key to Success: Teamwork

Abstract

Both the trauma mechanism as well as the pattern of injury of this occupational accident pose complex demands on the medical treatment of the entrapped patient. For a successful medical management of the patient, the rescue team composed of the paramedics and the emergency physician depended on the support of other professional groups, who, in turn, cannot simply go ahead with the technical rescue without having the surgical medical team closely monitor and treat the vital status. The above example illustrates not only the dynamic and complex nature of the preclinical medical environment, but also the fact that teamwork is the ultimate prerequisite for successful treatment in a high-stakes medical environment. The temporary team of physicians from different specialties, paramedics, fire rescue workers, and employees of the printing plant successfully coped with the challenge because all the necessary tasks were managed by sharing and contributing the skills and experience of all team members. Successful teamwork, like in the case study, is sometimes taken for granted. Usually, the question of how people in a heterogeneous group work together effectively, and which factors account for the success, does not attract much interest – as long as the cooperation works well.