Patient safety and teamwork in perinatal care: resources for clinicians.

Recent data reveal communication issues and organizational culture to be key factors in adverse perinatal outcomes. Hierarchical communication is common in healthcare and can be a significant impediment to safe care. Principles of teamwork employed by other industries, such as aviation and the military, can be appropriately applied to healthcare. This article provides a brief introduction to Crew Resource Management as well as a listing of print, multimedia, and Web resources for clinicians interested in promoting cultural change and effective teamwork.