VA Medical Team Training Associated With Lower Surgical Morbidity

The MTT program is a formal training regimen for operating room personnel. The VA implemented the program at its facilities on a national level.

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For their study, researchers conducted a retrospective analysis of 74 Veterans Health Administration facilities and compared the annual surgical morbidity rates one year after implementation of the MTT program to the annual surgical morbidity rate one year before implementation. Researchers also compared annual surgical morbidity rates one year after implementation to rates at facilities that did not employ the MTT program at all.

Researchers found 42 VA facilities that implemented the MTT program saw a 17 percent decrease in annual surgical morbidity rate. Comparatively, 32 VA facilities that did not implement the MTT program saw a lesser decrease of 6 percent in annual morbidity rates. After adjusting for surgical risk, facilities in the MTT program still saw a larger decrease in morbidity rates.

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