The impact of online teaching curricula on undergraduate basic surgical skills acquisition

Despite the growing use of online teaching in medical education, undergraduate surgical skills training remains predominantly face-to-face, with limited structured curricula and resources. Consequently, many students lack confidence performing basic procedures independently. While online programmes offer a potential alternative, comparative evidence is limited. This service evaluation assessed the effectiveness of online surgical skills teaching on student skill acquisition and confidence.

Medical students who participated in five UK national surgical skills programmes between 2022 and 2024 were selected, having received either online or face-to-face instruction. Skill acquisition was measured using the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) tool and confidence was measured pre- and post-training via a Likert scale. Non-parametric data were analysed using the Mann-Whitney U test, with significance set at p < 0.05.

Of 133 participants, 82 received online and 51 face-to-face training. Fifty-six percent were in their first or second year of study. No significant differences were found in continuous (p = 0.0652) or mattress suturing (p = 0.143), while interrupted suturing scores were significantly higher in the online group (p = 0.0143). Both modalities significantly improved confidence (p < 0.0001), with no significant difference between groups (p > 0.05).

This study demonstrates that online surgical skills teaching is as effective as face-to-face methods, with both positively impacting skill acquisition and confidence. A hybrid approach, integrating online and face-to-face teaching, could optimise learning by combining the scalability of online instruction with essential practical experience, enhancing medical students' confidence and technical proficiency in surgical skills.