Do orthopaedic fracture skills courses improve resident performance?

Area of Science:

• Orthopaedic Surgery
• Medical Education
• Surgical Skills Training

Background:

• Hands-on fracture fixation skills courses are crucial for surgical resident training.
• Assessing resident performance in simulated environments provides objective feedback.
• This study investigates the impact of a skills course on resident performance in fracture fixation.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a fracture fixation skills course on orthopaedic surgery residents' performance.
• To determine if improvements in simulated fracture fixation are sustained over time.
• To compare the performance of residents who attended the course versus those who did not.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-three junior orthopaedic residents participated in two simulated radial shaft fracture fixations over one year.
• A skills course was introduced between the initial and repeat simulations.
• Performance was assessed using procedural evaluation, Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS), and a written examination.

Main Results:

• Overall resident performance significantly improved in task completion (64.1% to 84.3%), OSATS scores (13.8 to 17.1), and exam scores (8.6 to 12.5).
• Residents who attended the course showed significant gains in task completion and OSATS scores.
• Residents who completed the course prior to the initial simulation consistently outperformed others.

Conclusions:

• Formal surgical skills courses demonstrably enhance residents' practical operative skills in fracture fixation.
• The benefits of surgical skills training are retained for at least six months.
• Skills courses are valuable educational tools that directly improve resident surgical performance.