Abstract
BACKGROUND: The operating room (OR) is a highly social and hierarchical setting where interprofessional team members must work interdependently under pressure. Due primarily to methodological challenges, the social and behavioral sciences have had trouble offering insight into OR dynamics. PURPOSE: We adopted a method from the field of ethology for observing and quantifying the interpersonal interactions of OR team members. METHODS: We created and refined an ethogram, a catalog of all our subjects' observable social behaviors. The ethogram was then assessed for its feasibility and interobserver reliability. RESULTS: It was feasible to use an ethogram to gather data in the OR. The high interobserver reliability (Cohen's Kappa coefficients of 81 % and higher) indicates its utility for yielding largely objective, descriptive, quantitative data on OR behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The method we propose has potential for social research conducted in healthcare settings as complex as the OR.