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Evaluation of a method to assess digitally recorded surgical skills of novice veterinary students
Author(s) -
Williamson Julie A.,
Farrell Robin,
Skowron Casey,
Brisson Brigitte A.,
Anderson Stacy,
Spangler Dawn,
Johnson Jason
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
veterinary surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.652
H-Index - 79
eISSN - 1532-950X
pISSN - 0161-3499
DOI - 10.1111/vsu.12772
Subject(s) - intraclass correlation , medicine , rubric , generalizability theory , inter rater reliability , grading (engineering) , cronbach's alpha , medical physics , reliability (semiconductor) , statistics , rating scale , psychology , clinical psychology , psychometrics , mathematics , power (physics) , mathematics education , civil engineering , physics , quantum mechanics , engineering
Abstract Objective To evaluate a method to assess surgical skills of veterinary students that is based on digital recording of their performance during closure of a celiotomy in canine cadavers. Sample Population Second year veterinary students without prior experience with live animal or simulated surgical procedure (n = 19) Methods Each student completed a 3‐layer closure of a celiotomy on a canine cadaver. Each procedure was digitally recorded with a single small wide‐angle camera mounted to the overhead surgical light. The performance was scored by 2 of 5 trained raters who were unaware of the identity of the students. Scores were based on an 8‐item rubric that was created to evaluate surgical skills that are required to close a celiotomy. The reliability of scores was tested with Cronbach's α, intraclass correlation, and a generalizability study. Results The internal consistency of the grading rubric, as measured by α, was .76. Interrater reliability, as measured by intraclass correlation, was 0.64. The generalizability coefficient was 0.56. Conclusion Reliability measures of 0.60 and above have been suggested as adequate to assess low‐stakes skills. The task‐specific grading rubric used in this study to evaluate veterinary surgical skills captured by a single wide‐angle camera mounted to an overhead surgical light produced scores with acceptable internal consistency, substantial interrater reliability, and marginal generalizability. Impact Evaluation of veterinary students’ surgical skills by using digital recordings with a validated rubric improves flexibility when designing accurate assessments.