Assessment of Educational Components of a Short-Term Surgical Trip Partnership: Feasibility and Preliminary Outcomes

Assess a longitudinal, education-centered short-term surgical trip partnership's impact on knowledge, technical skill, and learner attitudes among otolaryngology residents.

Prospective, pre-post interventional study.

Single institution in Mekele, Ethiopia.

In May 2024, 12 otolaryngology residents participated in a 4-week curriculum of didactics and skills sessions on suture and parotidectomy techniques at Ayder Comprehensive Specialized Hospital. The visiting surgical team administered precurriculum and postcurriculum self-assessments of confidence rated on Likert scales, multiple choice exams (MCE), and Objective Structured Clinical Examinations (OSCE). To assess long-term retention of knowledge and skills, the assessments were also administered 9 months after the initial STST. T-tests and Wilcoxon signed-rank tests were used to compare precurriculum and postcurriculum outcomes.

The study cohort included 3 PGY1, 4 PGY2, and 5 PGY3 who engaged in an average of 2 parotidectomies, 18 hours of study, and 3 hours of skills practice. Participants had significantly greater postcurriculum confidence in using nylon (P = .048), prolene (P < .01), monocryl (P < .01), and PDS (P < .01) and performing drain stitches (P = .035) and parotidectomy (P = .046) at the end of the first STST. After 9 months, there were no significant changes in assessment scores. All participants reported improved suture skills and strongly agreed that the curriculum was manageable along with clinical tasks.

This study provides a framework for building sustainable partnerships across institutions. The education and assessment formats were feasible and improved subjective and objective knowledge and clinical skills. Continued longitudinal tracking of outcomes and their application towards guiding STST partnerships are warranted.