Evaluation of an error-reduction training program for surgical residents

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Safety
• Error Reduction

Background:

• Surgical errors pose a significant risk to patient safety.
• A taxonomy identifying judgment, inattention to detail, and problem understanding errors provides a framework for targeted training.
• Effective resident training programs are crucial for improving surgical outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a surgical resident training program designed to reduce errors.
• The program focused on a taxonomy of errors including judgment, inattention to detail, and problem understanding.

Main Methods:

• A training module incorporating situational judgment tests, video training, and role-play feedback was implemented.
• Thirty-three surgical residents participated in the study between 2006-2007.
• Surgical complication and error data were collected for 12 months pre-training and 6 months post-training using an interrupted time series design.

Main Results:

• Surgical complications and errors demonstrated a significant decrease over the study period (r = -0.47 for complications, r = -0.55 for errors).
• One of three situational judgment test items showed significant improvement over time.
• Video behavior modeling did not yield significant effects on specific errors measured during role-plays.

Conclusions:

• The implemented surgical resident training program was associated with a reduction in overall surgical errors and complications.
• The training demonstrated limited effectiveness in improving the specific types of errors it was designed to target.