ePoster
Presentation Description
Institution: Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital - WA, Australia
Although psychological safety, effective handover, and feedback are widely acknowledged as essential in surgical training, consistent application in daily practice remains difficult. This abstract synthesizes implementation strategies that have demonstrated success in bridging the gap between supportive training cultures and the maintenance of clear professional standards. Evidence from handover improvement initiatives, speaking-up interventions, feedback and remediation frameworks, and just-culture models was reviewed. Strategies were analyzed from an implementation perspective, emphasizing feasibility, sustainability, and relevance to postgraduate surgical training settings. Effective implementation strategies regularly demonstrate four key features. First, explicit standardization of non-negotiable behaviors, notably concerning handover quality, task ownership, and escalation thresholds, reduced ambiguity and minimized individualized conflict. Second, systematic communication tools, such as scripted handover and escalation frameworks, increased reliability and decreased interpersonal risk. Third, faculty development in feedback and assessment, including documentation support and clear remediation pathways, mitigated fear-driven feedback avoidance and failure-to-fail behaviors. Fourth, agreement with just-culture principles, which distinguishes system errors from behavioral expectations, facilitated honest teaching without punitive escalation. Strategies that integrate psychological safety with explicit accountability, including standardized handover, protected feedback structures, supervisor training, and clear remediation processes, provide a practical approach to enhancing both education and patient safety. Conceptualizing professionalism as a shared system responsibility enables trainees to develop accountability early whilst preserving facilitative learning environments.
Presenters
Authors
Authors
Dr Shabnam Islam - , Dr Cherry Talavera -
