Surgeons’ leadership style linked to team behavior in hybrid OR

Editor's Note

This study, led by researchers in Belgium, finds that surgeons’ leadership style enhances surgical team behavior, especially during the most complex phases.

A total of 22 endovascular procedures (47 hours of video recordings) were analyzed.

Among the findings:

• Surgeons’ transformational leadership was positively related to the extent that team members worked together, shared knowledge, and spoke up.
• Passive leadership was significantly positively correlated with speaking up.
• Leadership style and team behavior fluctuated during a procedure, with similar patterns across different types of procedures.

The findings suggest that encouraging surgeons to learn and implement a transformational leadership style can enhance patient safety and surgical team performance.