Video education in open trauma: a program for developing trauma surgical skills

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Trauma Surgery Innovation
• Medical Technology Integration

Background:

• Trauma surgery involves high-acuity, infrequent events, leading to reduced operative experience for surgical residents.
• Global trauma remains a significant cause of death and disability.
• Limited operative volumes challenge traditional surgical training models.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the implementation of a video recording system for open trauma surgical cases.
• To establish a high-fidelity video repository for surgical training and education.
• To address the challenge of decreased trauma caseloads in surgical residency programs.

Main Methods:

• Systematic integration of video camera recording (handheld and head-mounted) in open trauma cases at Sotero del Rio Hospital, Chile.
• Defined surgical team roles, responsibilities, and workflows, including patient consent and equipment management.
• Established procedures for video storage and editing to create a comprehensive repository.

Main Results:

• Creation of the largest video repository of emergent, high-fidelity trauma cases, exceeding 1000 hours.
• The repository features over 250 independent operations across a wide variety of trauma case types.
• Demonstrated successful collection of high-quality video footage with minimal disruption to surgical workflow.

Conclusions:

• Successful implementation requires defined roles, a cultural shift, and workflow integration.
• Video recording provides a viable, inexpensive, and transportable solution to training challenges.
• The video repository enhances surgical training through case review for trainees and attending surgeons, improving educational conferences.