Face, content, and construct validation of a low-cost, non-biologic, sinus surgery task trainer and knowledge-based...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Simulation
• Otolaryngology

Background:

• Developing effective training tools for endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is crucial for surgical education.
• Low-cost, low-technology solutions are desirable for wider accessibility in surgical training programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the face, content, and construct validity of a novel, inexpensive endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) task trainer and its accompanying knowledge-based curriculum.
• To determine if the task trainer can differentiate between varying levels of surgical trainee experience.

Main Methods:

• A low-cost ESS task trainer and curriculum were developed.
• Attending otolaryngologists validated the trainer and curriculum's utility.
• A cross-sectional study assessed construct validity using medical students, residents, and attending otolaryngologists performing nine tasks on the trainer, graded by a global rating scale (GRS).
• Regression analyses identified predictors of task trainer performance.

Main Results:

• Attending physicians confirmed the task trainer accelerates learning and covers essential ESS techniques.
• GRS scores significantly varied by training level (p = 0.001).
• While not statistically significant, prior video gaming, sports experience, and simulation experience showed positive associations with higher GRS scores.

Conclusions:

• The study validates a knowledge-based curriculum and a low-cost ESS task trainer for early surgical training.
• Prior experience in video gaming, sports, and simulation may positively influence baseline performance on the ESS task trainer.