Effectiveness of Silent Mentor Program (SMP) Workshop on Enhancing Confidence in Surgical Skills

Simulation-based surgical skills workshops using 'Silent Mentors' are employed in numerous surgical training programs worldwide, yet empirical evidence on their effectiveness remains limited. The objective of this study was to investigate whether participation in the surgical skills workshop within the Silent Mentor Program (SMP) resulted in an improvement in the surgical skills of the workshop attendees.

Participants in the SMP at Universiti Malaya during the period from May 15, 2022, to September 24, 2023, were included in the study. Participants self-evaluated their surgical skill confidence levels in four fundamental surgical skills (chest tube insertion, central venous line insertion, endotracheal intubation, and skin suturing). The pre-workshop confidence scores were assessed and compared with immediate post-workshop scores.

The findings demonstrated that after the training, participants exhibited higher confidence in all four fundamental surgical skills. Skin suturing demonstrated the highest total confidence score post-workshop, with a median of 21 and an interquartile range (IQR) of 18-24. Endotracheal intubation and chest tube insertion followed closely, both with a median of 19. Conversely, central line insertion displayed the lowest total confidence score, registering a median of 18 (IQR=16-21). No statistically significant differences were observed in the confidence level scores for chest tube insertion, central line insertion, and endotracheal intubation between pre- and post-workshop assessments across all demographic characteristics.

In conclusion, utilizing silent mentors in surgical skills training enhances proficiency in all four fundamental surgical skills, with skin suturing demonstrating particularly noteworthy improvements. The consistent confidence levels across demographic factors suggest the workshop's effectiveness across a broad spectrum of participants.