Implementation of a Digital Health Technology Platform Improves Neurosurgical Resident Communication Skills

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Digital Health
• Surgical Training

Background:

• Surgical residency programs often lack standardized curricula for essential interpersonal and communication skills training.
• Developing these skills is crucial for effective patient care and professional development in surgery.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a digital health communication platform, Playback Health, in enhancing junior neurosurgical resident education.
• Specifically, to assess its impact on residents' comfort and perceived skills of attending surgeons in knowledge, technical, and interpersonal domains.

Main Methods:

• Junior neurosurgical residents (PGY-2, PGY-3) rated their comfort with attending surgeons on a 10-point Likert scale across 10 categories (knowledge, technical, interpersonal skills).
• Ratings were collected at baseline and every two months for six months, comparing one surgeon using Playback Health with four non-users.

Main Results:

• No significant baseline differences in resident ratings between Playback Health users and non-users.
• Significant improvements in knowledge base domains (imaging, preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative management) were observed at 4 and 6 months for residents working with the Playback Health user.
• Interpersonal skills, specifically understanding patient concerns and support structures, showed significant improvement within two months for residents working with the Playback Health user, sustained throughout the study.

Conclusions:

• A digital platform generating customized audiovisual content from patient-provider interactions can be a valuable tool for resident education.
• The platform particularly enhances interpersonal skills and the understanding of patient-specific concerns and support structures in surgical residents.