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Reliability of the Welling scale (WS1) for rating temporal bone dissection performance
Nancy N Butler1, Gregory J Wiet
1Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, The Ohio State University College of Medicine, Columbus, Ohio, USA.
The Laryngoscope
|August 28, 2007
Summary
The Welling scale demonstrates reliable intrarater agreement for evaluating temporal bone dissection. Interrater agreement was moderate, suggesting its utility in assessing surgical skill for mastoidectomy with facial recess approach.
Area of Science:
- Otolaryngology
- Surgical Education
- Medical Device Evaluation
Background:
- Accurate assessment of surgical skills is crucial for resident training in otolaryngology.
- Standardized evaluation tools are needed to objectively measure proficiency in complex procedures like temporal bone dissection.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the reliability of the Welling scale for assessing resident performance in temporal bone dissection.
- To determine both interrater and intrarater reliability of the Welling scale.
Main Methods:
- A prospective, double-blinded, randomized trial was conducted.
- Twelve otolaryngology residents performed temporal bone dissections (mastoidectomy with facial recess approach).
- Six independent raters assessed the dissections using the Welling scale on two occasions, blinded to resident postgraduate year.
Main Results:
- High intrarater reliability was observed, with Kappa values ranging from 0.65 to 0.72 (P < .001).
- Moderate interrater reliability was found, with Kappa values ranging from 0.49 to 0.64 (P < .01).
Conclusions:
- The Welling scale provides reliable intrarater assessment of temporal bone dissection outcomes.
- The scale shows moderate interrater reliability, indicating its potential as a tool for evaluating surgical performance in this domain.
