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Teaching technical skills: training on a simple, inexpensive, and portable model
Kyle R Wanzel1, Edward D Matsumoto, Stanley J Hamstra
1Centre for Research in Education, University Health Network, Division of Plastic Surgery, Department of Surgery, University of Toronto, Ontario, Canada.
Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
|January 12, 2002
Summary
A brief, 5-minute practice session with feedback significantly improved surgical residents' performance on the two-flap Z-plasty procedure. This cost-effective training enhanced both checklist and global rating scores, indicating better surgical outcomes.
Area of Science:
- Surgical Education
- Medical Simulation
- Plastic Surgery Training
Background:
- Surgical resident training requires effective and efficient methods for skill acquisition.
- Objective assessment tools are crucial for evaluating surgical performance and identifying areas for improvement.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the impact of a brief, individualized practice session with feedback on surgical residents' performance of the two-flap Z-plasty.
- To determine if this training method is cost-effective and improves patient outcomes.
Main Methods:
- 37 junior surgical residents performed two-flap Z-plasties on pig thighs.
- Performance was assessed before and after a 5-minute practice session with feedback using validated checklists and global rating scales.
- Paired Student's t tests were used for statistical analysis.
Main Results:
- Significant improvements were observed in total checklist scores (p < 0.05) and total global rating scores (p < 0.01) after the practice session.
- The global rating score for the appearance and quality of the surgical product significantly improved (p < 0.01).
- No significant differences in performance were found based on gender, year of residency, prior experience, or surgical specialty.
Conclusions:
- A brief, inexpensive, and portable practice session with feedback is an effective method for enhancing surgical resident performance.
- This training approach can lead to superior surgical outcomes for patients.
- Individualized, short-duration feedback sessions are valuable for surgical skill development.