Does a Mixed Training Course on the Oxford Unicompartmental Knee Arthroplasty Improve Non-Technical Skills of Orthopaedic Surgeons?

Purpose. To determine whether a mixed course on the Oxford unicompartmental knee arthroplasty (UKA) could improve the non-technical (cognitive) skills of performing UKA.Methods. 120 delegates consisting of consultant orthopaedic surgeons and advanced surgical trainees attended a 2-day course. 104 (87%) of the delegates had performed total knee arthroplasties, whereas 79 (66%) had performed UKAs. The course consisted of didactic lectures, interactive surgical demonstrations, and practical dry-bone skills workshops. Cognitive skills were assessed at the start (day 1) and end (day 2) of the course using 10 multiple-choice questions. The maximum test score was 10. Multilevel modelling was used to compare the pre- and post-course test scores. The pairings of pre- and post-course scores were not known because of a confidentiality clause.Results. Of the 120 delegates, 71 (59%) took the pre-course test and 120 (100%) took the post-course test. The median score improved significantly from 2 (interquartile range [IQR], 0.5–3.5) to 6 (IQR, 4.5– 7.5) [bootstrap p<0.0001] for every single one of the randomly allocated pairings. Most delegates had poor cognitive skills for the UKA before the course and improved significantly after the course. Subanalysis of each question topic showed significant improvement in scores for all topics after the course (bootstrap p<0.0001). Nonetheless, the extent to which individual topic scores improved varied widely. The odds ratio for the preversus post-course total test score was 4.36.Conclusion. A mixed continuing medical education course could enhance the non-technical (cognitive) skills for UKA.