Otolaryngology resident familiarity with surgical instruments and preoperative setup: A pilot study

It is essential for surgeons to be familiar with surgical instruments and their set-up in the operating room (OR) to maximize efficiency, and especially to be able to work with scrub nurses/techs who might not have experience with otolaryngologic surgery. Such familiarity becomes even more crucial when surgical techs or nurses are not immediately available to assist with preoperative setup, such as during emergencies during nights or weekends in some hospitals, especially when no attending physician is present during the time of setup. That may occur when emergency surgical cases start on short notice, and such situations are happening more often due to medical staff shortages caused by the COVID-19 pandemic [1].

As the improvements and innovations in surgical instrumentation and applications to otolaryngology - head and neck surgery procedures expand, challenges occur in gaining familiarity with new instruments, scarce instrument availability, scheduling training time, and arranging adequate ongoing training intervals to maintain proficiency [2]. Many training programs expect residents to learn about instruments through experience in the OR rather than through systematic training. Scheduling dedicated training time, developing training modules, and updating courses for common otolaryngology surgical instrumentation may enhance surgical residency programs. Wiet and colleagues suggested that otolaryngology training should include more simulation technologies [3]. This is one method that could allow more frequent training and flexibility for scheduling training time without risking patients by relying exclusively upon on-the-job experience in the OR. Moreover, stigma toward mental health care and barriers to self-care and help-seeking are common among residents [4]. They may deter surgical residents from addressing a lack of instrument familiarity with attending physicians or co-residents, thereby hindering valuable teaching and learning opportunities. Moreover, residents may not even realize that they have knowledge gaps in their knowledge of instruments and set-ups. This study aimed to determine otolaryngology (ORL) surgical trainees' perceptions of their ability to prepare the OR independently for common and specialized ORL surgical cases and their familiarity with ORL surgical instruments and related equipment.

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