Hemorrhaging during operative and other invasive procedures can result in devastating outcomes for surgical patients. An effective plan of action in the form of a massive transfusion protocol (MTP), along with teamwork and clear communication among OR personnel, is critical during a hemorrhagic crisis to improve patient outcomes. However, perioperative personnel may be unprepared to manage a hemorrhagic crisis because they lack experiential knowledge of these uncommon, high-risk scenarios. Perioperative leaders at a 500-bed acute-care hospital in the Midwest developed an educational activity involving a video-recorded simulated MTP scenario, learning modules, and debriefing sessions to educate more than 150 employees. Perioperative personnel received pre-education and watched the video-recorded MTP simulation together, and then participated in team debriefings after watching the video. Based on team debriefings and evaluation feedback, most staff members believed that the activity improved team communication.
Keywords: hemorrhagic crisis; massive transfusion protocol (MTP); pre-education; simulation; team communication.
© AORN, Inc, 2020.