Silo placement in gastroschisis: A pilot study of simulation-based training for general surgery residents

General surgery residents often feel unprepared for rotations on pediatric surgical services as case volume and experience performing pediatric procedures may be inadequate for high acuity, low volume procedures. We designed a single institution pilot study to assess whether simulation-based training (SBT) for placement of a silastic silo for gastroschisis was feasible and lead to skill acquisition, retention and increased resident confidence.

We used our newly created gastroschisis module within our pediatric surgery SBT curriculum for general surgery residents. Residents completed two simulation sessions three months apart, completed confidence testing before and after each session, and were assessed using a standardized case scenario and procedure checklist. Wilcoxon Signed-Rank Tests evaluated changes in residents' confidence and performance.

Ten post-graduate-year three general surgery residents completed this curriculum. Residents reported improved confidence completing each step of the procedure initially (p=0.008) and at 3 months (p=0.005). They had improved technical scores across all steps of the procedure (p=0.005). The number of residents deemed proficient significantly improved (p=0.008).

We demonstrated the feasibility of assessing the technical skills of general surgery residents performing a simulated placement of a silastic silo for gastroschisis. Residents' confidence and proficiency improved over the three-month period.

Prospective LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level II.