The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of frame-of-reference training on trained rater assessments of intraoperative communication skills, compare trained raters scores to resident self-assessments, and identify areas of need to inform curricular efforts.

These findings reveal that a number of individuals can be trained to reliably rate resident intraoperative communication performance and that residents tend to under-rate their communication skills.

Use of names, closed loop communication, and sharing information with team members demonstrated consistently low ratings among all residents.