Operating theatres


including medical students and those who are less experienced. If staff do not know the names of those they are working with, how can they speak up and direct their query or question to any specific individual? In an emergency, when seconds are critical, how can staff act with the speed they require when they don’t know the names or roles of the people around them? If a member of the team feels inadequate, due to being lower down in the hierarchical ladder, wouldn’t having the names and roles on their hats be a good start in an attempt to flatten the hierarchical challenge and encourage everyone to speak up?


One effective way to flatten the hierarchy in healthcare settings is by using first names. For example, when a team member lower in the hierarchy feels that someone like Mr. Surgeon holds more authority, they may hesitate to speak up, believing their input is less important. By addressing the surgeon as “Andy” rather than “Mr Surgeon,” it can make the environment feel more approachable, empowering everyone to communicate more freely. Even if the decision is to keep using formal titles like “Mrs. Surgeon,” the key is that everyone on the team knows her name and can personally address her, fostering a sense of inclusivity and respect.


Hello, my name is… For patients, entering a theatre department can be a daunting experience, especially when they don’t know the names of the staff providing their care. In my own experience of being a patient undergoing a C-section, I met with the surgeon and anaesthetist prior to surgery, but once I was in the room, I had no idea who they were, which made me feel incredibly nervous and anxious. I struggled to identify the caring professional who administered my epidural amidst the sea of blue scrubs and caps. I just wanted to focus on a familiar face, someone I trusted from my earlier experience, but everyone looked the same and I couldn’t remember her name. Such experiences highlight the emotional


and psychological challenges patients face when they are in a vulnerable state and don’t feel a personal connection to the people around them. The ‘Hello my name is’ campaign, which has gained tremendous momentum throughout the UK over the past decade, was created to address this very issue. It was inspired by Dr. Kate Granger, a Consultant Geriatrician in the NHS, who, after becoming a patient herself, recognised the importance of humanising healthcare by ensuring patients know who is caring for them. Kate looked at life from the other side


of the hospital bed and after numerous encounters with a whole range of healthcare


By addressing this issue, theatres can create a safer and more supportive environment for patients and their loved ones. Daniel’s story is a powerful reminder of the need for thoughtful innovation in healthcare settings.


Feedback Mr Andrew Stevenson, Orthopaedic Surgeon and Sustainability Chair from the Royal College of Surgeons has expressed to me: “In theatre, there can be a really high turnover of staff, with new people coming and going all the time. This can make it really difficult to know who is who, let alone what jobs they have. Some days, I won’t know half the people I am working with.” Team members knowing and using each


professionals, she felt she was losing a sense of her personal identity until, one day, a porter named Brian arrived to take her to the operating theatre. ‘Hello, my name is Brian’ he said – those words restored Kate’s feeling of self-worth, and so the campaign was born!8


Communication is


of paramount importance. Timely and effective communication, which is bespoke to the patient, makes a huge difference and starts with a simple introduction.8 ‘Hello my name badges’ (yellow with black text


which is the best colour contrast for everyone to read, including those who are visually impaired) are now worn in most departments in the UK, throughout many hospitals in all regions. The theatre badge hat range is a simple


product which incorporates the benefits of the ‘Hello my name is campaign’, enhanced infection control measures and sustainability. Name badges in healthcare have already been identified to “help to build trust and confidence and improve patients experience of receiving care”.9


So, the theatre badge hats will do this in the surgical setting, which is very much needed.


Visual identification of roles: a patient perspective Patient’s partners and families can also benefit from this initiative. Daniel, a father of twins delivered via C-section, shared a distressing experience in the maternity theatre. Dressed in the same scrubs and hat as the surgical team, he was frequently mistaken for staff and asked to assist during the procedure, despite repeatedly identifying himself as a visitor. This confusion led to Daniel being moved away from his wife during the delivery, leaving him unable to provide the support he had hoped to offer. This incident highlights a critical gap in


operating theatre protocols: the lack of clear visual identifiers for visitors. Misidentification disrupts workflows and can lead to emotional distress for families during significant moments.


other’s names leads to better communication and is a recognised component of good team function, particularly in the event of a clinical crisis.10


behaviour in the operating room’ and one of the outcomes determined that ‘systemic determinants were critical, such as poorly defined working roles’.11 Even when staff have worked together


previously, the rapid changeover of staff and the fact that hundreds of personnel may work in the theatre department means that situations frequently arise in which staff do not know the names of everyone working in the theatre.12 I spoke with many surgeons at the Future


Surgery event which was held at the Excel, London in September 2024, and several of these surgeons expressed to me that they feel that they ‘ostracised’ the staff they worked with daily because they cannot remember their names after the initial introductions. Some conveyed that they feel bad and under pressure when they can’t remember their names and worry that colleagues may think they are rude or ignorant towards them. One surgeon commented that the changes would be transformational if he and the clinicians he worked with had the badge hats. So, in operating theatres, everyone looks the same, easily readable name badges are not worn and there can be up to 15 people at any one time working in a theatre room together. A combination of various authority figures ranging from Surgeons and Anaesthetists high in the chain of command to students and visitors can make communication and human factors complex.


A more sustainable NHS According to the World Health Organization, humanity faces its greatest ever threat: the climate and ecological crisis. Healthcare services globally have a large carbon footprint, accounting for 4-5% of total carbon emissions. Surgery is particularly carbon-intensive, with a typical operation estimated to generate


February 2025 I www.clinicalservicesjournal.com 39


One study from 2022 looked at ‘Disruptive


t


Page 1  |  Page 2  |  Page 3  |  Page 4  |  Page 5  |  Page 6  |  Page 7  |  Page 8  |  Page 9  |  Page 10  |  Page 11  |  Page 12  |  Page 13  |  Page 14  |  Page 15  |  Page 16  |  Page 17  |  Page 18  |  Page 19  |  Page 20  |  Page 21  |  Page 22  |  Page 23  |  Page 24  |  Page 25  |  Page 26  |  Page 27  |  Page 28  |  Page 29  |  Page 30  |  Page 31  |  Page 32  |  Page 33  |  Page 34  |  Page 35  |  Page 36  |  Page 37  |  Page 38  |  Page 39  |  Page 40  |  Page 41  |  Page 42  |  Page 43  |  Page 44  |  Page 45  |  Page 46  |  Page 47  |  Page 48  |  Page 49  |  Page 50  |  Page 51  |  Page 52  |  Page 53  |  Page 54  |  Page 55  |  Page 56  |  Page 57  |  Page 58  |  Page 59  |  Page 60  |  Page 61  |  Page 62  |  Page 63  |  Page 64  |  Page 65