Errors During Resuscitation: The Impact of Perceived Authority on Delivery of Care.

Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the influence of perceived authority on pediatric resuscitation teams' response to an incorrect order given by a medical superior.

Methods: As part of a larger multicenter prospective interventional study, interprofessional pediatric resuscitation teams (n = 48) participated in a video-recorded simulated resuscitation scenario with an infant in unstable, refractory supraventricular tachycardia. A confederate actor playing a senior physician entered the scenario partway through and ordered the incorrect dose and delivery method of the antiarrhythmic, procainamide.