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Updated: Jul 9, 2026
Murine Flexor Tendon Injury and Repair Surgery
Published on: September 19, 2016
The use of a cognitive task analysis-based multimedia program to teach surgical decision making in flexor tendon
Kali R Luker1, Maura E Sullivan, Sarah E Peyre
1Department of Surgery, Division of Plastic & Reconstructive Surgery, Keck School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Santa Monica, CA, USA.
Background:
The aim of this study was to compare the surgical knowledge of residents before and after receiving a cognitive task analysis-based multimedia teaching module.
Methods:
Ten plastic surgery residents were evaluated performing flexor tendon repair on 3 occasions. Traditional learning occurred between the first and second trial and served as the control. A teaching module was introduced as an intervention between the second and third trial using cognitive task analysis to illustrate decision-making skills.
Results:
All residents showed improvement in their decision-making ability when performing flexor tendon repair after each surgical procedure. The group improved through traditional methods as well as exposure to our talk-aloud protocol (P > .01). After being trained using the cognitive task analysis curriculum the group displayed a statistically significant knowledge expansion (P < .01).
Conclusions:
Residents receiving cognitive task analysis-based multimedia surgical curriculum instruction achieved greater command of problem solving and are better equipped to make correct decisions in flexor tendon repair.