Immediate Surgical Skills Feedback in the Operating Room Using "SurF" Cards

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Skills Training
• Gynecologic Surgery

Background:

• Effective surgical training relies on guided learning, deliberate practice, and directed feedback.
• Current methods often lack sufficient preoperative key step review and timely feedback.
• Resident satisfaction with surgical skills feedback is historically low.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop and implement a tool, Surgical Skills Feedback (SurF) cards, to enhance procedural key step review and immediate feedback.
• To evaluate faculty and resident satisfaction with surgical skills feedback before and after SurF card implementation.

Main Methods:

• Surgical Skills Feedback (SurF) cards were created for 8 gynecologic procedures.
• Faculty/fellows and residents completed pre- and post-study surveys on feedback practices and satisfaction.
• SurF cards were used during the performance of the 8 target procedures.

Main Results:

• Pre-implementation, only 55% of faculty and 5% of residents reported preoperative key step review, with low satisfaction.
• Post-SurF card implementation, preoperative key step review increased to 78% of procedures.
• Resident satisfaction with feedback frequency and quality significantly improved post-SurF card implementation.

Conclusions:

• SurF cards effectively facilitated procedural key step review in gynecologic surgery.
• The tool significantly enhanced resident satisfaction with surgical feedback.
• SurF cards show potential for improving outcomes assessments and documenting Milestone attainment.