Cross-Sectional Study on Experience in Musical Instruments and Basic Surgical Skills Acquisition Among Final Year...

This cross-sectional study aims to evaluate the association between experience in musical instruments and surgical skills in medical students.

Online questionnaires were distributed to 243 final year students for their baseline demographic data and exposure to musical instrument training. A two-hour surgical skills training was conducted, and students were assessed for their surgical skills by two blinded assessors 4 weeks after the teaching using the objective structured assessment of technical skills (OSATS) score.

Two hundred three final year medical students were recruited. The median age was 24 years old (range 23-34). 126 (62.3%) had experience in playing musical instruments. 101 (80.2%) students mainly played keyboard, 23 (18.3%) played strings, and 2 (1.5%) played brass/wind. The mean time for task completion was 249.3 s (SD = 45.9) in the control group (no musical experience), while the case group (with musical experience) was 223.5 s (SD = 28.8), p < 0.001. The mean OSATS score in the control group was 7.79 (SD = 0.78) while the case group was 8.28 (SD = 0.59), p < 0.001. The mean time for task completion was 223.8 s (SD = 30.8) in the keyboard group, while that in the strings group was 223.2 s (SD = 18.6), p = 0.926. The mean OSATS score was 8.3 (SD = 0.59) in the keyboard group and 8.26 in the strings group (SD = 0.54), p = 0.789.

Experience with musical instruments is associated with quicker time of basic surgical tasks completion with better technique.