Exploring medical students’ understanding of non-technical skills: a thematic analysis

Introduction
 Non-technical skills (NTS) are a developing area of clinical education, partly due to the recognition that poor NTS can contribute adverse patient events. Simulation is an appropriate teaching environment consider these skills. Post-scenario discussions often focus on specific NTS, but may not necessarily be what participants think when considering NTS. The aim this study was therefore analyse one group healthcare professionals, medical students, focused observing their colleagues in simulated scenarios.
 
 Method
 Medical students from two English universities were asked observe acute medicine scenarios. They instructed document observations written worksheets focusing comprising communication, teamwork, task management, decision making, situational awareness and, for last scenario, general worksheet asking all discussed so far. These then transcribed and analysed using thematic analysis elicit themes best outlined students’ perceptions.
 Results Five discovered five six worksheets: team dynamics, self events, coping under pressure misinterpretation showed difference between concentrated compared they consider. Analysis gave us initial understanding prior knowledge assumptions bring with them NTS.
 Conclusions
 Understanding interpretations better help understand how teach effectively build upon our important, construct new As analyses events practice point errors as causative factors, improving essential aspect education.