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The effect of low‐fidelity endoscopic sinus surgery simulators on surgical skill
Author(s) -
Wais Marta,
Ooi Eng,
Leung Randy M.,
Vescan Allan D.,
Lee John,
Witterick Ian J.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
international forum of allergy and rhinology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.503
H-Index - 46
eISSN - 2042-6984
pISSN - 2042-6976
DOI - 10.1002/alr.20093
Subject(s) - medicine , otorhinolaryngology , checklist , rating scale , physical therapy , fidelity , randomized controlled trial , session (web analytics) , audiology , medical physics , surgery , psychology , developmental psychology , world wide web , computer science , electrical engineering , cognitive psychology , engineering
Background: Surgical training models are being increasingly used to provide an environment for surgical trainees to improve their skills without risk to patients. This study uses previously validated, inexpensive, low‐fidelity training models to determine how pretraining affects endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) skills. Methods: Fourteen Otolaryngology residents were randomized to 1 of 2 groups that were stratified for training level. The first group took part in a pretraining session where they practiced on all 5 different modules whereas the second group did not receive any pretraining. The following day, all participants took part in a cadaveric ESS course. Participants were instructed to complete a set of tasks and their performances were videotaped. The videos were then evaluated using a Global Rating Scale (GRS) and a Task‐Specific Checklist (TSC). The performances of those who trained using the models were compared to the performances of those who did not. Results: The intervention (pretraining) group performed better than the nonintervention (no pretraining) group on the cadaveric ESS tasks ( p < 0.05). As well, there was a statistical difference between the senior residents who had the pretraining with the simulator models performing better than those who did not. Conclusion: The modules appear to have made a positive impact on ESS skills. These low‐cost, easily‐constructed training modules have the potential to be integrated into Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery resident training. Assessment of long‐term training effects with a larger number of participants is planned for future studies. © 2011 ARS‐AAOA, LLC.