Anterior plating technique for distal radius: comparing performance after learning through naive versus deliberate...

Area of Science:

• Orthopedic Surgery
• Surgical Education
• Medical Simulation

Background:

• Surgical training traditionally relies on mentorship and experience in the operating theatre.
• Objective measurement of surgical procedure performance is rarely implemented.
• The shift towards simulation-based learning necessitates evaluating new training methodologies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the learning curve progression of junior surgeons using three distinct training methods for anterior plating of the distal radius.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of different practice techniques on surgical skill acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Twelve junior surgeons (Level 1 or 2) were divided into control (G1), naive practice (G2), and deliberate practice (G3) groups.
• All groups watched an expert demonstration video; G2 rewatched before each plate, while G3 received expert feedback on their own performance after initial viewing.
• Objective surgical performance was measured using a 12-criteria OSATS (Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills) scale.

Main Results:

• The deliberate practice group (G3) showed the highest average objective performance (54.35) and the greatest improvement (13.25).
• Both G2 (50.57 performance, 5 improvement) and G1 (44.73 performance, 3.75 improvement) demonstrated lower gains.
• Level 1 surgeons across all groups showed better performance progression (9) than Level 2 surgeons (5.6).

Conclusions:

• Deliberate practice, when integrated with mentorship, is the most effective method for accelerating the learning curve and enhancing junior surgeon performance.
• This technique offers a valuable adjunct to traditional surgical training, improving skill acquisition.
• Objective assessment tools are crucial for evaluating surgical training effectiveness.