Making EPAs a 59 minute objective measure for surgical trainees - A pilot study.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Assessment Methods

Background:

• Confirming surgical trainees' mastery of entrusted professional activities (EPAs) requires robust staff evaluation.
• Simulation-based assessments offer a potential avenue for rigorous EPA analysis.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the utility of a simulation-based assessment (Surgical X-Games) for analyzing surgical trainees' performance on specific entrusted professional activities (EPAs).

Main Methods:

• Surgical residents (PGY-2 to PGY-5) participated in a 59-minute simulation-based assessment (X-Games).
• The assessment covered surgical technique, knowledge, and critical thinking across four EPAs: inguinal hernia repair, appendectomy, cholecystectomy, and trauma resuscitation.
• Performance data was collected and analyzed across different postgraduate year (PGY) levels.

Main Results:

• Performance varied among surgical residents within and between PGY levels.
• Objective data on trainee performance was obtained through the simulation-based assessment.

Conclusions:

• Simulation-based assessments, such as the OSCE-style X-Games, provide objective, construct-valid data for evaluating surgical trainees.
• Adapting the Surgical X-Games to align with EPA scoring systems can enhance the objective analysis of trainee progression towards autonomous practice.