Skills transfer to sinus surgery via a low-cost simulation-based curriculum

Area of Science:

• Otolaryngology
• Surgical Education
• Medical Simulation

Background:

• Surgical skill development outside the operating room is crucial for enhancing technique and patient safety.
• Endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) requires specialized technical and cognitive skills.
• Evaluating novel training curricula is essential for improving surgical proficiency.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the correlation between technical and cognitive skills and cadaveric ESS performance.
• To evaluate changes in ESS performance following a dedicated simulation-based and knowledge-based curriculum.

Main Methods:

• A before-after study design involved 10 medical students and 10 otolaryngology residents.
• Participants underwent pre-curriculum knowledge tests and cadaveric ESS tasks, followed by a curriculum, and post-curriculum assessments.
• Performance was evaluated using a global rating scale (GRS) and an ESS-specific checklist.

Main Results:

• Knowledge-based pretest scores showed a stronger correlation with cadaveric ESS GRS scores (r = 0.73) than task trainer performance (r = 0.43).
• Significant improvements in postcurriculum cadaveric ESS checklist scores were observed in both medical students and residents.
• Residents demonstrated the most improvement in uncinectomy, maxillary os enlargement, and bulla identification.

Conclusions:

• The findings support the efficacy of simulation-based and knowledge-based ESS training curricula.
• This study highlights the value of structured training programs for improving surgical skills in otolaryngology.
• Implementing such curricula outside the operating room can enhance surgical competence and patient safety.