Anesthesia providers experience a number of challenging interaction situations. They often find themselves in a situation in which they need to negotiate effectively on issues that are not clinically urgent, but successful resolution requires interpersonal  problem solving, while preserving or even improving relationships. Other situations call for them to communicate effectively and problem solve in a stressful or conflicted situation around or during a clinical encounter. Research, reported experience of staff and physicians,  as well as risk management analyses have indicated problems with effective communication, which can undermine team performance, damage relationships and lead to patient harm.

Training and the bounding of clinicians into professional silos can result in individuals being unfamiliar with and even misaligned in their understanding of each other's thought processes and therefore perspectives and needs in a clinical or even administrative situation. While "team" is an often used word in healthcare, close examination of actual group behavior suggests that the communication skills and attitudes needed for effective team functioning are not explicitly taught and modeled.