Effect of a Surgical Teaching Video on Resident Performance of a Laparoscopic Salpingo-oophorectomy: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

STUDY OBJECTIVE

To assess the effect of a surgical teaching video on junior resident knowledge and performance of a laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy (LSO).

DESIGN

Randomized controlled trial.

SETTING

Urban tertiary care academic obstetrics and gynecology department.

PATIENTS

First- and second-year gynecology residents.

INTERVENTIONS

Access to an education video on LSO for 1 week before performing this surgery in the operating room.

MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS

Twenty-four junior residents were recruited and randomized to either the educational video group or traditional residency training group. All participants completed a demographic survey and knowledge questionnaire before performing an LSO, which was video-recorded. Video recordings of surgical performance were analyzed using the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS; 20 points) and an LSO-specific tool (30 points). Participants completed a self-assessment questionnaire before completing the procedure. The primary outcome measure was the difference in OSATS scores. The secondary outcomes were the knowledge questionnaire scores and self-assessed confidence scores. There were no significant differences between demographic variables of the 2 groups. The primary outcome revealed no significant differences in mean (standard deviation) OSATS scores (10.64 [2.05] vs 11.55 [1.85], p = .3) or LSO-specific tool scores (16.45 [2.68] vs 17.85 [2.63], p = .24). However, there was a significant difference in mean knowledge scores between the video and the traditional training (8.42 [0.79] vs 7.11 [1.36], p = .01) groups. In addition, residents in the video group had more confidence in their knowledge of pelvic anatomy (3.83 [0.39] vs 3.00 [1.00] out of 5.00, p = .04).

CONCLUSION

For junior learners, the use of an LSO video improved knowledge and confidence in anatomy but did not translate to improved surgical performance in the operating room. Surgical videos are a useful adjunct and complement hands-on technical teaching.