No Spinach Needed: Popeye-the-Pug Flexes as an Effective Peri-Ocular and Cosmetic Facial Surgical Training Model

Model formation and use in veterinary education has grown in response to the initiative to reduce, refine, and replace traditional cadaveric training methods while endeavoring to meet stakeholder expectations of immediate surgical competence upon graduation. Models are intended to provide students with clinically relatable and repeatable surgical experiences prior to live animal application of skill. The aim of this study is to refine and evaluate Popeye-the-Pug (Popeye) as a multipurpose surgical model. Popeye is intended to be a portable surgical trainer allowing students to perform five separate tasks: replacement of the proptosed eye with tarsorrhaphy, upper eyelid tumor removal with cosmetic closure, correction of a prolapsed third eyelid utilizing a pocket technique, nasal wedge resection, and lip laceration repair. The intention of the model is to prepare veterinary students to perform the surgical skills required and to complete commonly seen surgeries in general practice, dependent on their respective stage in their education. A mixed convenience sampling of veterinary students and general practitioners was recruited for this study. Recorded performance of the procedures for each participant was evaluated via a rubric and a global rating score. Pre- and post-model utilization surveys were completed and statistically evaluated to determine the educational utility, as well as the psychological and engineering fidelity of the model. Four of five tasks rated high for participants in psychological and engineering fidelity; however, revision of the anatomical intricacies of the third eyelid will need to be revisited to increase ease of use and surgical accuracy. Performance and survey results indicate that Popeye-the-Pug provides spatial awareness, procedural accuracy, and educational utility.