Video-based learning for basic surgical skills - A randomized trial.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Digital Learning Technologies

Background:

• Traditional in-person courses are standard for teaching basic surgical skills.
• Evaluating novel methods like video-based learning is crucial for enhancing surgical education.
• Medical students require effective and accessible training in fundamental surgical techniques.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the efficacy of video-based learning versus traditional in-person courses for teaching basic surgical skills.
• To assess performance quality, retention, and participant satisfaction between the two learning modalities.
• To determine the potential of video-based learning as a cost-effective alternative in surgical training.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, randomized, blinded case-control study involving 50 medical students.
• Two groups: traditional (in-person) and video-based learning for four types of sutures.
• Evaluations included immediate performance (mOSATS), retention (two weeks later), time, and satisfaction.

Main Results:

• Video-based learning group showed superior performance in horizontal and vertical mattress sutures during initial evaluation.
• Higher retention of surgical skills was observed in the video-based learning group.
• Traditional learning group completed sutures significantly faster, despite longer learning time in the video group.

Conclusions:

• Video-based learning is a viable alternative for teaching basic surgical skills, demonstrating comparable performance and improved retention.
• This method may lead to better resource allocation and cost efficiencies in surgical education.
• Further investigation into optimizing video-based surgical skill acquisition is warranted.