Non-technical skills and legal awareness in UK surgical training: A potential strategy for reducing medical error and subsequent harm.

Medical error and the potential subsequent harm caused to patients, relatives and healthcare professionals have been identified as a serious public health concern. Non-technical error has been implicated as a contributing cause in a significant number of adverse events. Modern surgical training in the United Kingdom has evolved to include non-technical skills training to complement traditional technical training. The recognition of non-technical training as well as a renewed focus on legal learning outcomes during training may promote a culture of greater risk awareness and subsequent clinical risk reduction.