Development and pilot evaluation of a structured curriculum for surgical handover

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Patient Safety

Background:

• Effective handover communication is crucial in graduate medical education.
• Junior surgical doctors often lack formal training in handover procedures.
• A structured curriculum was developed to address this training gap.

Purpose of the Study:

• To pilot a structured curriculum for surgical handover training.
• To assess the impact of the curriculum on interns' self-reported confidence.
• To gather feedback on the curriculum's content and format.

Main Methods:

• A 60-minute intervention combining didactic teaching, video, simulation, and discussion was delivered to interns at two Irish hospitals.
• Self-reported confidence in handover was measured using pre- and post-session surveys.
• Participant feedback was collected on curriculum effectiveness and helpfulness.

Main Results:

• A significant improvement in self-reported confidence was observed across all handover domains (p<0.001).
• Video demonstrations and simulated practice were rated as most helpful by participants.
• 76.1% of participants indicated the session would influence their handover practices.

Conclusions:

• A simulation-based curriculum effectively enhances intern confidence in surgical handover.
• The curriculum is well-received, easily integrated, and resource-efficient.
• This approach holds promise for improving handover communication in surgical training.