IRL relational dependence in Swedish trauma teams- a Social Network Analysis of communication

Abstract

Functional teamwork in trauma resuscitation teams is essential for team performance and the quality of care. Challenging situations put strain on the teams, which can affect how coordination is achieved. Proposedly there is a relation between the adapted social structure of the team and the acquisition of a common mental model in the team, which facilitates task performance. From other studies it is proposed that the equality of reliance between team members and an open-structure of information sharing is coupled to the possibility of establishing shared goals and situational awareness within the team. This would correspond to low centralization in teams. This study assessed the social structure of IRL teams from trauma resuscitations through a Social Network Analysis (SNA) of communication. The analysis revealed that the examining physician was the most prominent communicator. However, the teams had over-all high degrees of centrality on more than one of its parts, making them high in centralization but not “star-like”. The study provides a snapshot of social relations IRL and hints about future possibilities of studying the dynamics of social interaction in emergency teams.