TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE
Comprehensive Surgical Coaching Enhances Surgical Skill in the Operating Room
Published on
August 1, 2015
Annals of Surgery
Overview
The study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of individualized coaching in improving surgical technical skills compared to traditional residency training. Conducted as a randomized controlled trial among trainees in a minimally invasive surgery rotation, participants were assigned to either conventional training (CT) or comprehensive surgical coaching (CSC). The CSC group received targeted performance analysis, feedback, and behavior modeling, while the CT group underwent standard training practices. Results showed that the CSC group achieved significantly higher scores on procedure-specific skill assessments and made fewer technical errors, indicating that comprehensive coaching provides superior skill acquisition compared to conventional methods.
In conclusion, the findings suggest that integrating comprehensive surgical coaching into residency training can enhance technical proficiency and surgical safety among trainees, offering a promising alternative to traditional approaches in surgical education.
Results
Twenty residents were randomized and 18 completed the study. At posttraining the CSC group (n = 9) scored significantly higher on a procedure-specific skill scale compared with the CT group (n = 9) [median, 3.90 (interquartile range, 3.68-4.30) vs 3.60 (2.98-3.70), P = 0.017], and made fewer technical errors [10 (7-13) vs 18 (13-21), P = 0.003]. Significant within-group improvements for all skill metrics were only noted in the CSC group.
