Surgical performance under stress: Conceptual and methodological issues

Abstract

This chapter provides an overview of surgical performance under stressful conditions, often present in the operating room (OR). We begin with an overview of models and theories of stress and their relationship to human performance. We then present the current state of the art in the measurement of stress in the context of surgery and measures of surgical performance. Finally, we summarise evidence on the impact of stress on performance in the OR. We conclude with a discussion on the implications of the existing evidence based on surgical stress for the training of junior surgeons and propose directions for future empirical research. © Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg 2010.