Tham Alex C, Himdi Lamiae, Nguyen Lily H P, Frenkiel Saul, Tewfik Marc Antoine
Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
Institute of Health Sciences Education, McGill University, Montreal, Canada.
OTO Open. 2022 Mar 4;6(1):2473974X221083981. doi: 10.1177/2473974X221083981. eCollection 2022 Jan-Mar.
Medical education has been severely disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, with many in-person educational activities transitioned to distance learning. To overcome this challenge, we utilized telesimulation to conduct an endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) dissection course. Our objectives were to evaluate the effectiveness and acceptability of telesimulation as an alternative to in-person dissection courses for resident training.
Cross-sectional study.
Academic medical centers.
The course, consisting of lectures and hands-on dissection, was conducted entirely over the Zoom platform. The participants were allocated outpatient clinic rooms at 2 hospitals, while the instructors supervised remotely. We utilized the camera systems in the clinics and 3-dimensional-printed sinus models for the dissection. Laptops with cameras were used to capture the endoscopic image and the dissector. We evaluated the effectiveness of telesimulation, the surgical skills of the participants, and the course by way of pre- and posttest and a questionnaire.
A total of 8 participants and 7 instructors participated in the study. Telesimulation was found to be effective in helping participants gain knowledge and skills in ESS. All participants improved on their pretest scores (31.5% vs 73.4%, = .003) and felt more comfortable with ESS postcourse (1.9 vs 3.2, = .008). Participants and instructors opined that telesimulation is an acceptable alternative to in-person dissection courses.
Telesimulation is an effective, acceptable, and viable alternative to in-person dissection courses. It also has the advantage of overcoming temporal and geographic constraints to surgical training in residency.
医学教育因新冠疫情受到严重干扰，许多面对面的教育活动转为远程学习。为应对这一挑战，我们利用远程模拟开展了一门鼻窦内窥镜手术（ESS）解剖课程。我们的目的是评估远程模拟作为住院医师培训中面对面解剖课程替代方式的有效性和可接受性。
横断面研究。
学术医疗中心。
该课程包括讲座和实践解剖，完全通过Zoom平台进行。参与者被分配到两家医院的门诊室，而教员进行远程监督。我们利用门诊室的摄像系统和3D打印的鼻窦模型进行解剖。配备摄像头的笔记本电脑用于捕捉内窥镜图像和解剖者的操作。我们通过课前和课后测试以及问卷调查来评估远程模拟的有效性、参与者的手术技能和该课程。
共有8名参与者和7名教员参与了该研究。发现远程模拟在帮助参与者获得ESS知识和技能方面是有效的。所有参与者的课前测试成绩都有所提高（31.5%对73.4%，P = 0.003），并且在课程结束后对ESS操作感觉更自如（1.9对3.2，P = 0.008）。参与者和教员认为远程模拟是面对面解剖课程可接受的替代方式。
远程模拟是面对面解剖课程有效、可接受且可行的替代方式。它还具有克服住院医师外科培训中的时间和地理限制的优势。
