[Suturing basic procedural skills training for medical students during COVID-19 pandemic]

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Skills Training
• Pandemic Response in Healthcare Education

Context:

• SARS-CoV-2 pandemic necessitated adaptations in medical training.
• Sanitary measures disrupted traditional teaching and learning methods.
• Small group randomization and modified training protocols were implemented.

Purpose:

• To evaluate a modified Basic Procedural Skills Training workshop for wound suturing.
• To assess the impact of pandemic-adapted training on medical students' skills.
• To gauge student perception of the workshop and COVID-19 safety measures.

Summary:

• 114 students participated in a modified wound suture training workshop. Skills were assessed pre- and post-intervention using The Objective Structured Assessment Of Technical Skills (OSATS). Statistically significant improvements were observed in both OSATS verification list (4.5 to 8.6) and global scale (13.0 to 25.3) scores (p < 0.01).
• Student perception of the workshop and adherence to COVID-19 prevention measures were positively evaluated.

Impact:

• Demonstrates the efficacy of adapted surgical skills training during public health crises.
• Highlights the successful implementation of the Basic Procedural Skills Training methodology in a challenging environment.
• Provides evidence for maintaining high-quality medical education standards amidst pandemic-related restrictions.