Estelle Michinov

Social Identity, Group Processes, and Performance in Synchronous Computer-Mediated Communication.

This study examined group processes in a synchronous context and their effects on performance, assuming that these processes would be strongly dependent on the salience of social identity. It was predicted that the mere categorization of students into an online group and comparison with other groups, 2 basic conditions related to social identity, would enhance group identification, interaction patterns, and group performance in a relatively complex academic task. As predicted, the categorization manipulation enhanced group identification and increased task- and morale-building communication. It was not related to performance. These findings invite a more thorough examination of the impact of social identity on the building of a sense of online community at the early stage of a learning process.

Job Satisfaction, Life Satisfaction and Burnout in French Anaesthetists

The present study aimed to examine the prevalence of burnout, levels of life satisfaction and job satisfaction in anaesthetists in France. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 193 anaesthetists from eight French public hospitals. The results indicated low levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization scores, but high levels of reduced accomplishment. The results also revealed differences between subgroups: physician anaesthetists reported higher levels of depersonalization and reduced accomplishment than nurse anaesthetists, female and junior anaesthetists reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion and job dissatisfaction than male and senior anaesthetists. The results and the implications to reduce burnout symptoms in anesthesia teams are discussed.

Social Comparison Orientation Moderates the Effects of Group Membership on the Similarity-Attraction Relationship

ABSTRACT The present study examined how the similarity-attraction relationship is affected by a combination of the tendency to compare oneself to other people (Social Comparison Orientation, SCO) and group membership. We expected that high-SCO individuals would prefer similar to dissimilar others only when the target belonged to their in-group and was relevant for the evaluation of their self-concept. It was also expected that among low-SCO individuals who are more certain about the self and less concerned about “being evaluated,” a main effect of attitude similarity would appear, regardless of the group membership of the target. Results partially support these predictions and suggest that further research should be carried out into the combined effects of individual and group variables in the attraction literature.

Sociocognitive determinants of self-reported compliance with standard precautions: Development and preliminary testing of a questionnaire with French health care workers

BACKGROUND Inconsistent compliance of health care workers with standard precautions has already been documented. The objective of this study was to develop a questionnaire to investigate the sociocognitive determinants of compliance with standard precautions based on the theory of planned behavior. METHODS To construct the Standard Precautions Questionnaire (SPQ), items were selected using a systematic review of literature and semistructured interviews with 54 health care workers. Thirty-five items were selected for a draft questionnaire. These questionnaires were sent to 649 health care workers in 3 medical specialties (pediatrics, geriatrics, and intensive care) in a French University hospital. A total of 331 valid questionnaires were analyzed. RESULTS Factor analysis yielded a final 7-factor solution with an explained variance of 66.51%, with 24 items. The 7 dimensions were the following: attitude toward standard precautions, social influence facilitating organization, exemplary behavior of colleagues, organizational constraints, individual constraints, and intention to perform standard precautions. Some differences were observed between medical specialties on attitude toward standard precautions, social influence, and individual constraints. CONCLUSION The SPQ met the conditions of reliability and validity in accordance with psychometric demands and could be used to evaluate attitudes and intention to perform standard precautions among medical and nursing staff.

Therapeutic patient education: From infantilization to critical thinking.

Joint Bone Spine - In Press.Proof corrected by the author Available online since samedi 14 mars 2015

Assessing neurosurgical non-technical skills: an exploratory study of a new behavioural marker system.

RATIONALE, AIMS AND OBJECTIVES The management of non-technical skills is a major factor affecting teamwork quality and patient safety. This article presents a behavioural marker system for assessing neurosurgical non-technical skills (BMS-NNTS). We tested the BMS during deep brain stimulation surgery. METHOD We developed the BMS in three stages. First, we drew up a provisional assessment tool based on the literature and observation tools developed for other surgical specialties. We then analysed videos made in an operating room (OR) during deep brain stimulation operations in order to ensure there were no significant omissions from the skills list. Finally, we used five videos of operations to identify the behavioural markers of non-technical skills in verbal communications. RESULTS Analyses of more than six hours of observations revealed 3515 behaviours from which we determined the neurosurgeons non-technical skills behaviour pattern. The neurosurgeon frequently engaged in explicit coordination, situation awareness and leadership behaviours. In addition, the neurosurgeons behaviours differed according to the stage of the operation and the OR staff members with whom she was communicating. CONCLUSIONS Our behavioural marker system provides a structured approach to assessing non-technical skills in the field of neurosurgery. It can also be transferred to other surgical specialties and used in surgeon training curricula.

Relationships between stress, social support and transactive memory among humanitarian aid workers

This study examines coordination processes (transactive memory) among humanitarian aid workers, and the relationships between stress, social support and transactive memory. Sixty humanitarian aid workers from non-governmental organisations completed a questionnaire. The measures included scales of transactive memory, perceived stress, compassion fatigue and social support. Data from partial least squares (PLS) showed that transactive memory is not structured identically among stable teams and humanitarian aid teams: transactive memory is essentially based on tacit coordination processes among humanitarian aid workers. The results showed that stress was negatively related to transactive memory and that social support was positively related to it. Moreover, social support was not a moderator of the relationship between stress and transactive memory. This study highlights the need to develop programmes to prepare humanitarian aid workers for the management of emergency situations and to protect them from stress.

Effects of gender role and task content on performance in same-gender dyads: Transactive memory as a potential mediator

This experiment was designed to examine the effects of gender role and task content on performance in learning dyads and to test the potential mediator effect of an intragroup process related to transactive memory. A total of 44 same-gender dyads participated in the study and were asked to collaborate on a stereotypically masculine or feminine task in a laboratory setting. Collective performance and transactive memory were measured. As predicted, the results showed an interaction between group gender and task content on group performance, with male dyads showing poorer performance on a masculine task than female dyads. However, contrary to expectations, this moderation effect was not mediated by transactive memory, which appeared as a simple mediator of the relationship between group gender and performance. The results are discussed in the framework of the social role theory, and implications for future research in small learning groups are proposed.RésuméL’objectif de cette expérience était d’examiner les effets des rôles de genre et de la connotation stéréotypique de la tâche sur la performance de groupes d’apprenants, ainsi que l’effet potentiel d’un processus médiateur relié à la mémoire transactive. 44 dyades (dyades masculine vs. féminine) étaient invitées à participer à une tâche d’apprentissage connotée sexuellement (féminine vs. masculine) en situation de laboratoire. Des mesures de performance collective et de mémoire transactive étaient recueillies. Conformément à nos hypothèses, les résultats ont montré une interaction entre la composition des dyades et la connotation de la tâche sur la performance collective, montrant que les performances des dyades masculines sont plus faibles que celles des dyades féminines lorsque la tâche d’apprentissage est connotée masculine. Toutefois, contrairement aux attentes, cet effet d’interaction entre la composition des dyades et la connotation de la tâche n’est pas médiatisé par le processus de mémoire transactive. En effet, celui-ci apparaît comme un simple médiateur de la relation entre la composition des dyades et la performance collective. Les résultats sont discutés dans le cadre de la théorie des rôles sociaux. Les implications pour les recherches futures sur les groupes d’apprentissage sont également proposées.

Relationships Between Expertise, Crew Familiarity and Surgical Workflow Disruptions: An Observational Study

BackgroundTeamwork is an essential factor in reducing workflow disruption (WD) in the operating room. Team familiarity (TF) has been recognized as an antecedent to surgical quality and safety. To date, no study has examined the link between team members’ role and expertise, TF and WD in surgical setting. This study aimed to examine the relationships between expertise, surgeon–scrub nurse familiarity and WD.MethodsWe observed a convenience sample of 12 elective neurosurgical procedures carried out by 4 surgeons and 11 SN with different levels of expertise and different degrees of familiarity between surgeons and SN. We calculated the number of WD per unit of coding time to control for the duration of operation. We explored the type and frequency of WD, and the differences between the surgeons and SN. We examined the relationships between duration of WD, staff expertise and surgeon–scrub nurse familiarity.Results9.91% of the coded surgical time concerned WD. The most frequent causes of WD were distractions (29.7%) and colleagues’ interruptions (25.2%). This proportion was seen for SN, whereas teaching moments and colleagues’ interruptions were the most frequent WD for surgeons. The WD was less high among expert surgeons and less frequent when surgeon was familiar with SN.ConclusionsThe frequency of WD during surgical time can compromise surgical quality and patient safety. WD seems to decrease in teams with high levels of surgeon–scrub nurse familiarity and with development of surgical expertise. Favoring TF and giving feedback to the team about WD issues could be interesting ways to improve teamwork.

When team member familiarity affects transactive memory and skills: a simulation-based training among police teams

Abstract The goal of this study was to evaluate the impact of team member familiarity on both technical and non-technical skills of police officers and to examine the mediating role of transactive memory components (specialization, coordination and credibility). Student police officers (N = 150) carried out professional simulation sessions in groups of three, with either familiar (n = 22 teams) or unfamiliar (n = 28 teams) team members, followed by a skills evaluation exercise. Professional instructors evaluated skills through direct observation of team member behaviours. The results revealed that training in familiar teams improved police officers’ technical and non-technical skills and transactive memory system. The effect of team familiarity on skills was mediated by transactive memory and specifically by the tacit coordination component. The findings are discussed in relation to the literature on the effects of team member familiarity on team performance, and implications for team training and staffing (turnover of personnel) in actions teams. Practitioner Summary: This study examined the effect of team member familiarity on both the technical and non-technical skills of police officers. Training in familiar teams improved skills and transactive memory. The positive effect of team member familiarity on skills was mediated by the coordination facet of transactive memory.