Communication in the Cardiac Operating Room

Ross Ungerleider, MD, MBA, Jamie Dickey Ungerleider, MSW, PhD

Key Points

  • Make psychological safety a norm: Team leaders should create an environment where all members feel “seen, heard, understood, and valued.”
  • Replace destructive behaviors with “antidotes”: The chapter highlights four “destroyers” (criticism, contempt, defensiveness, stonewalling) and emphasizes shifting to “complaint,” “appreciation of differences,” “self-accountability,” and “self-soothing.”
  • Invite input and “accept influence”: High-performing teams “invite ideas and…accept influence,” using curiosity and openness to different perspectives.
  • Ask more, tell less: Leaders who “ask for the opinions of others” and consider suggestions without judgment help build “cultures of trust and safety.”
  • Use closed-loop communication: Use names and “reflect back”—e.g., “use their name” to get attention, get a verbal response, and close the loop with acknowledgment (often a simple “thank you”).

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