ABOUT ME

I am a lecturer in Psychology at the University of Aberdeen with background training in Psychology and Human Factors. My research is focused on the psychological aspects of behaviour at work, especially in acute medicine. I am particularly interested in non-technical skills, leadership, awareness and communication and how these concepts relate to performance and safety in high-hazard workplaces.

CONTACT

Dr Steven Yule

School of Psychology

King's College

University of Aberdeen

Aberdeen AB24 2UB

Scotland, UK

t: +44 1224 273214

f: +44 1224 273211

e: s.j.yule@abdn.ac.uk

TEACHING

**Lecture notes for Research methods (PS2513) & Methodology B (PS3513) are on WebCT**

MSc Patient Safety: A Clinical Human Factors Approach. Second cohort entry in October 2010 Click here for further details

RECENT NEWS ARTICLES

July 2010: "Pressure points" - burnout in surgery

Oct 2009: "Test of cultures" - NOTSS in Japan

CURRENT RESEARCH PROJECTS

NOTSS - Surgeons' non-technical skills

Since 2003 I have managed a multidisciplinary research group comprising psychologists, surgeons, and an anaesthetist to develop and test a behaviour rating system for surgeons' non-technical skills. Surgeons can use NOTSS to observe, rate, and provide feedback on cognitive and social skills in the operating theatre. The system has been widely reported and is currently being trialled in operating rooms in Europe and Japan. It has been adopted by the Australian College of Surgeons as part of their competence framework.

NOTSS Masterclasses for system users are run by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Visit the NOTSS website for more details. Funded by the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh and NHS Education for Scotland.

Non-technical skills in surgical simulation

This is a pseudo-experimental study to assess the impact of feedback on surgeons' technical and non-technical skills. Funded by NHS Grampian endowment fund.

Nintendo wii training to reduce errors in surgery

A new study to investigate alternative methods of improving performance in the operating theatre.  Funded by the Richard Benjamin Memorial Trust.

System strengths and weaknesses in the operating theatre

Jill Wilkinson and I used observational methods to identify aspects of the surgical system that help or hinder intraoperative performance. Funded by Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh. Shortlisted for the prestigious Moynihan prize by Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland 2010.

Inattentional blindness and hazard perception

In this project we are looking at the effect of distraction on primary task performance and inattentional blindness in air traffic controllers.

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS

Yule, S., Rowley, D., Flin, R., Maran, N., Youngson, G.G., Duncan , J., Paterson-Brown, S. (2009). Experience matters: Comparing novice and expert ratings of non-technical skills using the NOTSS system. Australian Journal of Surgery.

Mearns, K., & Yule, S. (2009). The role of national culture in determining safety performance: Challenges for the global oil and gas industry. Safety Science.

Yule, S., Flin, R., Maran, N., Rowley, D. R., Youngson, G.G. and Paterson-Brown, S. (2008). Surgeons' non-technical skills in the operating room: Reliability testing of the NOTSS behaviour rating system. World Journal of Surgery, 32, 548-556

Yule, S., Flin, R., Rowley, D., Mitchell, A., Youngson, G.G., Maran, N. and Paterson-Brown, S. (2008). Debriefing surgical trainees on non-technical skills (NOTSS). Cognition, Technology & Work, 10, 265 -274

Healey, A., Catchpole, K., & Yule, S. (2008). Enhancing surgical systems. Cognition, Technology & Work. 10, 251-254

Fernando N, McAdam, T., Cleland, J., Yule, S., , McKenzie, H., Youngson, G.G. (2007). How can we prepare our medical students for theatre-based learning? Medical Education, 41, 968-974

Flin, R., Youngson, G. G., & Yule, S. (2007). How do surgeons make intraoperative decisions? Quality and Safety in Healthcare 16, 235-239.

Yule, S., Flin, R., & Murdy, A. (2007). The role of management & safety climate in preventing risk-taking at work. International Journal of Risk Assessment and Management, 7(137-151).

Yule, S., Flin, R., Paterson-Brown, S. & Maran, N. (2006). Non-technical skills for surgeons: a review of the literature. Surgery 139:140-149.

Yule, S., Flin, R., Paterson-Brown, S., Maran, N., Rowley D. (2006). Development of a rating system for surgeons' non-technical skills. Medical Education 40:1098-1104.