Being a surgeon, it's a lot of pressure, having someone's life in your hands. One mistake and you can kill someone. Fortunately, there are things surgeons can do to cut down on mistakes. Like, for instance, warming up before operating.

Practice Makes Perfect

Most of the time, surgeons prepare for surgery by going over the case and thinking about the procedure. But studies have shown that warming up by actually practicing the procedure or going through the hand motions of the surgery really helps.

In one study, doctors that warmed up this way had eighty-percent fewer errors than doctors who didn't warm up. The surgeons practiced on a computer simulator.

Most hospitals have simulators, but they're usually tucked away in a classroom or in the basement. But if there were a practice simulator near the OR, more surgeons could take a few minutes to warm up and perform better during the real thing.

Further Reading

If you'd like to learn more about  how surgeons prepare for operations, check out this article from MedPage Today.