Where to Begin? Prioritizing Procedures for Surgical Skills Training Development: SELF Series Article 2

The shortage of practitioners trained to provide essential surgical care remains among the most stubborn contributors to the global burden of disease. Scaling the global surgical care workforce through independent procedural skills training is essential to address unmet surgical needs, particularly in resource constrained settings. This is a dauntingly large task; prioritization of a sub-set of surgical skills is required in order to make an impactful start. During the 2023 Surgical Education Learners Forum (SELF) Symposium, participants developed criteria to prioritize the development of self-directed and simulation-based training modules to address the most urgent needs in surgery, critical care, and perioperative care. This is the second article in the SELF series.

The SELF community of practice members from diverse geographies convened at the SELF Symposium to gain a common understanding of the environments where SELF training modules are deployed and articulate how to prioritize the development of those materials. Participants voted to prioritize 262 procedures by impact and then effectiveness, "deployability", and outcome variability.

Fifty seven procedures were identified as high-priority for surgical skills development. Of these, 20 were trauma and critical care procedures, 21 were general surgical procedures, 11 were pediatric surgical procedures, and 5 were obstetrics, gynecology, and family planning procedures.

When faced with the dauntingly large need for surgical, critical care and perioperative procedural skills training, prioritizing the identified areas will guide training development efforts toward the greatest impacts.