Mastery Learning Improves Simulated Distal Radius Fracture Management by Emergency Medicine Teaching Faculty

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Emergency Medicine
• Surgical Skills Training

Background:

• Emergency medicine physicians require proficiency in managing distal radius fractures.
• Existing training gaps highlight the need for effective educational interventions.
• This study assesses academic emergency medicine physician competence in simulated distal radius fracture management.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the proficiency of academic emergency medicine physicians in managing simulated distal radius fractures.
• To assess the impact of a simulation-based mastery learning (SBML) intervention on physician performance.
• To identify factors influencing proficiency in distal radius fracture management.

Main Methods:

• A pretest-posttest study design was employed with board-certified or eligible emergency medicine physicians.
• Participants were assessed using a task trainer and a 41-item checklist, with a minimum passing standard of 90.2%.
• The intervention involved baseline assessment, individualized feedback, deliberate practice, and reassessment via SBML.

Main Results:

• Initially, only 19.6% of 51 participants met the minimum passing standard for distal radius fracture management.
• After the SBML intervention, 95% of 20 participants achieved the passing standard.
• A significant mean score improvement of 8.4 points was observed post-intervention (P < 0.01).

Conclusions:

• Academic emergency medicine physicians exhibit performance deficits in distal radius fracture management.
• Simulation-based mastery learning effectively addresses these performance gaps.
• Targeted educational interventions are necessary to maintain essential procedural skills.