Virtual Interactive Surgical Skills Classroom: A Parallel-group, Non-inferiority, Adjudicator-blinded, Randomised...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Digital Health

Background:

• Traditional face-to-face training (FFT) for basic surgical skills is resource-intensive.
• Exploring effective digital alternatives is crucial for expanding access to surgical education.
• Virtual classroom training (VCT) and computer-based learning (CBL) offer potential solutions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of VCT against FFT and CBL for basic surgical skills.
• To assess the non-inferiority of VCT to FFT.
• To evaluate the cost-effectiveness and resource utilization of each training method.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, randomized controlled trial involving 72 medical students across five London medical schools.
• Participants were allocated to VCT, FFT, or CBL (90-minute sessions).
• The primary outcome was the post-intervention Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) score for suturing.

Main Results:

• VCT was non-inferior to FFT for surgical skills acquisition (adjusted difference 0.44).
• Both VCT and FFT were superior to CBL.
• VCT incurred lower costs (£22.15/attendee) and required fewer instructor hours (0.25 hrs/student) compared to FFT.

Conclusions:

• Virtual classroom training (VCT) demonstrates comparable educational benefits to face-to-face training (FFT) for basic surgical skills.
• VCT offers significant advantages in accessibility and resource efficiency.
• VCT holds considerable potential for enhancing the global reach and availability of surgical skills training.