Challenging Authority During an Emergency-the Effect of a Teaching Intervention.

Objectives: Previous research has shown that residents were unable to effectively challenge a superior's wrong decision during a crisis situation, a problem that can contribute to preventable mortality. We aimed to assess whether a teaching intervention enabled residents to effectively challenge clearly wrong clinical decisions made by their staff.

Subjects And Intervention: Following ethics board approval, second year residents were randomized to a teaching intervention targeting cognitive skills needed to challenge a superior's decision, or a control group receiving general crisis management instruction.