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Dr Lucy Mitchell The University of Aberdeen School of Psychology Research Assistant work +44 (0)1224 273212 work fax +44 (0)1224 273211 pref l.mitchell@abdn.ac.uk pref Industrial Psychology Research Centre School of Psychology University of Aberdeen King's College Aberdeen AB24 3UB

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Web Links

Aberdeen Patient Safety Research Group: http://www.abdn.ac.uk/psrg

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Biography

I developed a behavioural rating system for operating theatre scrub nurses' non-technical skills i.e. the SPLINTS system for my doctoral research.  In 2006 I obtained a Masters in Research, having studied the decision making skills of police firearms officers in a training simulator. This was a continuation of my thesis work in 2005 for a MA honours degree in Psychology, at the University of Aberdeen. Prior to studying psychology, I was a police officer for 10 years, working in both the traffic and criminal investigation departments and was also trained in the use of police firearms, hence the combination of interests for my theses work.

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Research Interests

I am interested in studying non-technical skills (e.g. communication, situation awareness) and other human factors which contribute to safe task performance.  

I am currently investigating surgeons' intraoperative decision making and risk taking.  I am also running the SPLINTS usability study with scrub practitioners (nurses) in operating theatres, at four Scottish teaching hospitals. 

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Current Research

I am a Research Fellow in the Industrial Psychology Research Centre (IPRC) at the University of Aberdeen.

The SPLINTS system, which I developed during my doctoral programme, is currently being used by scrub practitioners in four Scottish hospitals as part of a usability study.  This work was  funded (March '07- February '09) by the National Health Service Education for Scotland (NES) and by a Scottish Funding Council Strategic Research Development Grant (March '09 - present). 

I am also working on a project which is examining surgeons' decision making and risk taking.  We will compare trainee and consultant surgeons, by showing them videos of laparascopic cholecystectomy operations, stopping at critical decision points where surgeons will be interviewed as to what they see and how they would proceed with the surgery.   

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Other interests

Alongside this work, I was co-organiser for the Research Methods Symposium at the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh in November 2007. This brought clinicians and researchers in the area of acute medicine from USA, Canada, Australia and Europe together to present and discuss methods of observing and rating behaviour of teams and individuals in the operating theatre. Following this meeting, Professor Rhona Flin and I edited Safer Surgery: Analysing Behaviour in the Operating Theatre;(Download PDF). This is a collection of chapters written by attendees of this meeting and others who could not attend, published by Ashgate  and was 'highly commended'at the British Medical Association annual medical book award in September 2010.

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Publications

Contributions to Journals

Articles

• Mitchell, L., Flin, R., Yule, S., Mitchell, J., Kathy, C. & Youngson, G. (2012). 'Evaluation of the Scrub Practitioners' List of Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills (SPLINTS) system'. International Journal of Nursing Studies, vol 49, no. 2, pp. 201-211.
  [Online] DOI: 10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2011.08.012
• Mitchell, L., Flin, R., Yule, S., Mitchell, J., Kathy, C. & Youngson, G. (in press). 'Development of a behavioural marker system for scrub practitioners' non-technical skills (SPLINTS system)'. Journal of Evaluation in Clinical Practice.
• Mitchell, L., Flin, R. & Yule, SJ. (2011). 'Thinking ahead of the surgeon: An interview study to identify scrub nurses' non-technical skills'. International Journal of Nursing Studies, vol 48, pp. 818.
• Mitchell, L. & Mitchell, J. (2011). ''Pass the buzzy thing, please'. Recognising and understanding information: an essential non-technical skill element for the efficient scrub practitioner'. Journal of Perioperative Practice, vol 21, no. 6, pp. 203-205.
• Mitchell, L. (2010). 'Is it time to integrate non-technical skills and other human factors into perioperative training programmes?'. Journal of Perioperative Practice, vol 20, no. 9, pp. 314.
• Mitchell, L. (2008). 'The non-technical skills of theatre nurses'. Journal of Perioperative Practice, vol 18, no. 9, pp. 378-379.
• Mitchell, L. & Flin, R. (2007). 'Shooting Decisions by Police Firearms Officers'. Journal of Cognitive Engineering and Decision Making, vol 1, no. 4, pp. 375-390.
  [Online] DOI: 10.1518/155534307X264861

Scientific Reviews

• Mitchell, L. & Flin, R. (2008). 'Non-technical skills of the operating theatre scrub nurse: literature review'. Journal of Advanced Nursing, vol 63, no. 1, pp. 15-24.
  [Online] DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04695.x

Special Issues

• Bromiley, M. & Mitchell, L. (2009). 'Would you speak up if the consultant was wrong?...and would you listen if someone said you'd got it wrong?'. Journal of Perioperative Practice, vol 19, pp. 326-329.

Chapters in Books, Reports and Conference Proceedings

Chapters

• Mitchell, L. & Flin, R. (2009). 'Scrub Practitioners' List of Intra-operative Non-Technical Skills: SPLINTS'. in R Flin & L Mitchell (eds), Safer Surgery: Analysing Behaviour in the Operating Theatre Ashgate, Farnham, United Kingdom, pp. 67-81.

Books and Reports

Books

• Flin, R. & Mitchell, L. (eds) (2009). 'Safer Surgery: Analysing Behaviour in the Operating Theatre'. Ashgate, Farnham, United Kingdom.

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