Online case-based educational meetings can increase knowledge, skills, and widen access to surgical training: The nationwide Virtual Trauma & Orthopaedic Meeting series

Elsevier

Available online 11 March 2023

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T&O training opportunities have diminished due to COVID-19 & managed recruitment

Virtual case-based meetings can augment teaching & widen access to specialty training

This study describes the design, delivery & effects of a nationwide education series

AbstractBackground

Access to surgical training is challenging for undergraduate and early postgraduate trainees due to a greater focus on developing generic knowledge and skills, and a drive to recruit greater numbers into internal medicine and primary care. COVID-19 accelerated the declining access to surgical training environments. Our aims were to: 1) establish the feasibility of an online, specialty-specific, case-based surgical training series, and 2) evaluate its suitability for meeting the needs of trainees.

Methods

A nationwide audience of undergraduate and early postgraduate trainees were invited to a series of bespoke online case-based educational meetings in Trauma & Orthopaedics (T&O) over a six month period. The six sessions, which simulated real-world clinical meetings, were constructed by Consultant sub-specialists and involved the presentation of cases by registrars, followed by structured discussion of basic principles, radiological interpretation, and management strategies. Mixed qualitative and quantitative analyses were conducted.

Results

There were 131 participants (59.5% male), consisting mostly of doctors in training (58%) and medical students (37.4%). The mean quality rating was 9.0/10 (SD 1.06), further supported by qualitative analysis. 98% enjoyed the sessions, 97% reported improved knowledge of T&O, and 94% reported a direct benefit to clinical practice. There was a significant improvement in knowledge of T&O conditions, management plans, and radiological interpretation (p = <0.05).

Conclusion

Structured virtual meetings, underpinned by bespoke clinical cases, may widen access to T&O training, increase flexibility and robustness of learning opportunities, and mitigate the effects of reduced exposure on preparation for surgical careers and recruitment.

Keywords

Medical education

Surgical training

Virtual teaching

Online learning

Orthopaedics

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© 2023 Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (Scottish charity number SC005317) and Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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