Table 1 Percentage of US and Japanese (JP) residents responding to questions about consistency of statements with their own personal beliefs*.
| No | Level of consistency | Very | Somewhat | Neutral | Somewhat | Very | p value† | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| inconsistent | inconsistent | consistent | consistent | |||||
| Q1 | The senior person should take over and make all decisions in life threatening emergencies | US | 5.7 | 32.9 | 11.4 | 35.7 | 14.3 | 0.86 |
| JP | 10.3 | 24.1 | 19 | 31 | 15.5 | |||
| Q2 | Senior staff should encourage questions from junior medical staff if appropriate | US | 1.4 | 2.9 | 0 | 7.1 | 88.6 | <0.01‡ |
| JP | 8.6 | 12.1 | 22.4 | 37.9 | 19 | |||
| Q3 | Doctors who encourage suggestions from other junior members are weak leaders | US | 86.8 | 10.3 | 0 | 0 | 2.9 | <0.01‡ |
| JP | 58.6 | 19 | 17.2 | 5.2 | 0 | |||
| Q4 | A regular debriefing of procedures and decisions after difficult activities or shift is an important part of developing and maintaining effective team coordination | US | 4.3 | 0 | 4.3 | 20 | 71.4 | 0.32 |
| JP | 0 | 0 | 6.9 | 12.1 | 81 | |||
| Q5 | Team members in charge should verbalize plans for procedures or actions and should be sure that the information is understood and acknowledged by the others | US | 1.4 | 0 | 2.9 | 18.6 | 77.1 | <0.01‡ |
| JP | 1.8 | 5.3 | 14 | 31.6 | 47.4 | |||
| Q6 | Junior team members should not question the decisions made by senior personnel | US | 53.6 | 31.9 | 7.2 | 5.8 | 1.4 | <0.01‡ |
| JP | 78.9 | 14 | 7 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Q7 | I try to be a person that others will enjoy working with | US | 2.9 | 0 | 0 | 18.8 | 78.3 | <0.01‡ |
| JP | 0 | 3.4 | 13.8 | 48.3 | 34.5 | |||
| Q8 | It is better to agree with other team members than to voice a different opinion | US | 23.2 | 56.5 | 13 | 4.3 | 2.9 | 0.06 |
| JP | 24.1 | 25.9 | 39.7 | 10.3 | 0 | |||
| Q9 | The pre‐session team briefing is important for safety and for effective team management | US | 2.9 | 2.9 | 19.1 | 33.8 | 41.2 | <0.01‡ |
| JP | 0 | 0 | 6.9 | 6.9 | 86.2 | |||
| Q10 | I am more likely to make errors or mistakes in tense or hostile situations | US | 1.5 | 5.9 | 19.1 | 51.5 | 22.1 | 0.36 |
| JP | 3.4 | 8.6 | 24.1 | 43.1 | 20.7 | |||
| Q11 | The doctor's responsibilities include coordination between his or her work team and other support areas | US | 4.4 | 0 | 4.4 | 36.8 | 54.4 | 0.86 |
| JP | 0 | 3.4 | 12.1 | 27.6 | 56.9 | |||
| Q12 | As long as the work gets done, I don't care what others think of me | US | 47.8 | 23.2 | 14.5 | 11.6 | 2.9 | 0.06 |
| JP | 62.1 | 17.2 | 17.2 | 1.7 | 1.7 | |||
| Q13 | A good reputation in the department or floor is important to me | US | 1.4 | 2.9 | 10.1 | 53.6 | 31.9 | 0.99 |
| JP | 1.7 | 1.7 | 17.2 | 44.8 | 34.5 | |||
| Q14 | Errors are a sign of incompetence | US | 14.5 | 44.9 | 20.3 | 18.8 | 1.4 | 0.39 |
| JP | 26.3 | 33.3 | 29.8 | 8.8 | 1.8 | |||
| Q15 | If I perceive a problem with the management of a patient I will speak up regardless of who might be affected | US | 1.5 | 7.4 | 13.2 | 52.9 | 25 | 0.05 |
| JP | 1.8 | 3.5 | 35.1 | 43.9 | 15.8 | |||
| Q16 | I am ashamed when I make a mistake in front of other team members | US | 4.4 | 17.6 | 17.6 | 50 | 10.3 | 0.27 |
| JP | 10.5 | 3.5 | 17.5 | 50.9 | 17.5 | |||
| Q17 | Team members should not question the decisions or actions of senior staff except when they threaten the safety of the operation | US | 20.9 | 49.3 | 14.9 | 10.4 | 4.5 | 0.81 |
| JP | 28.1 | 26.3 | 31.6 | 12.3 | 1.8 | |||
| Q18 | To resolve conflicts, team members should openly discuss their differences with each other | US | 0 | 7.6 | 10.6 | 37.9 | 43.9 | 0.73 |
| JP | 0 | 3.5 | 15.8 | 33.3 | 47.4 | |||
| Q19 | There are no circumstances where a junior team member should assume control of patient management | US | 43.9 | 36.4 | 12.1 | 6.1 | 1.5 | 0.06 |
| JP | 32.1 | 25 | 35.7 | 3.6 | 3.6 | |||
| Q20 | Human error is inevitable | US | 3 | 1.5 | 10.6 | 13.6 | 71.2 | 0.01‡ |
| JP | 3.5 | 7 | 17.5 | 28.1 | 43.9 | |||
| Q21 | Effective team coordination requires members to take into account the personalities of other team members | US | 1.6 | 1.6 | 6.3 | 28.6 | 61.9 | 0.98 |
| JP | 0 | 0 | 8.8 | 31.6 | 59.6 | |||
| Q22 | I always ask questions when I feel there is something I don't understand | US | 1.5 | 10.8 | 16.9 | 46.2 | 24.6 | 0.90 |
| JP | 0 | 7 | 28.1 | 36.8 | 28.1 |
*The statements were drawn from the Operating Team Resource Management Survey developed by Helmreich and Merritt and several words were modified to apply more generally.12
†Calculated by Wilcoxon rank sum test between the US and Japan.
‡Statistically significant difference at p<0.05 level.