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

Abstract

To assess the effect of a surgical teaching video on junior resident knowledge and performance of a laparoscopic salpingo-oophorectomy (LSO). Randomized controlled trial. Urban tertiary care academic obstetrics and gynecology department. First- and second-year gynecology residents. Access to an education video on LSO for 1 week before performing this surgery in the operating room. 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). 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.