Using the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) global rating scale to evaluate the skills of surgical trainees in the operating room

Hiroaki Niitsu,Naoki Hirabayashi,Shuji Saeki,Yoich Sugiyama,Takeshi Mimura,Shigeru Murakami,Junya Taomoto,Wataru Takiyama,Masanori Yoshimitsu,Hidenori Mukaida

doi:10.1007/s00595-012-0313-7

Abstract

PurposeThe education of surgical trainees should be based on an accurate evaluation of their surgical skill levels. In our hospital, the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) is used for this purpose. We conducted this study to demonstrate the validity and accuracy of the OSATS for assessing surgical skills in the operating room (OR) setting.MethodsBetween January, 2007 and December, 2010, the OSATS global rating scale was used to assess several operations in which surgical trainees participated. We assessed ten surgical trainees who participated as the main surgeon or first assistant, and studied the correlation between their postgraduate year and their OSATS score.ResultsThe median score of the global rating scale for each trainee improved with each year of experience. The median scores of all trainees in postgraduate years 3, 4, and 5 were significantly different (p < 0.001 for both the main surgeon and first assistant roles; Kruskal–Wallis test).ConclusionUsing the OSATS global rating scale to assess the surgical skills of trainees in the OR was feasible and effective.

Highlights

In Japan, the training curriculum for surgeons to be certified by the board of the Japan Surgical Society [1] contains minimally required surgical elements
The median score of the global rating scale for each trainee improved with each year of experience
Using the OSATS global rating scale to assess the surgical skills of trainees in the operating room (OR) was feasible and effective

Summary

Introduction

In Japan, the training curriculum for surgeons to be certified by the board of the Japan Surgical Society [1] contains minimally required surgical elements. The surgical skills of trainees are assessed by the supervisor, with feedback, in the OR [2]. In contrast to these subjective assessments, the validity and reliability of several objective methods of assessing surgical skills have been reported previously [2]. The OSATS is an examination using bench model simulation, which consists of two components: an operation-specific checklist and a global rating scale. Both of these methods were reported to be proportional to the maturity of surgical skills. The global rating scale can be applied to any other skill assessment

Methods

Results

Conclusion