 These findings can be interpreted in light of previous studies assessing communication in surgery and similar collaborative tasks which showed that explicit task-relevant communication fosters the development of a shared mental model of the task within the team. This facilitates coordination, because all team members are informed about the state of task progress, and can better anticipate their contribution. This is particularly important in critical phases of the procedure, as well as in OR teams composed of members with different levels of knowledge and expertise. Explicit task-related communication may be particularly useful to inform non-sterile team members anesthetists, scrub nurses that do not have full sight of the operative field at all times. 