Does bench model fidelity interfere in the acquisition of suture skills by novice medical students?

Teaching suturing skill to emergency physicians: the experience of a hands-on practical training in a laboratory simulation-based setting

Both specialists and trainees in emergency medicine are often unaware of the principles of good suturing. Hands-on training course was proposed to both members of the staff (group A) and trainees (group B) of the emergency department of our hospital. Familiarity with all aspects of the operation, pre-course 0%, postcourse 79% (group A) and 85.71% (group B) - p<0.000); clear economy of movement and maximum efficiency, pre-course 0%, post-course 73.8% (group A) and 89.80% (group B) - p<0.000; fluid moves with instruments and no awkwardness, pre-course 0%, post-course 73.8% (group A) and 89.80% (group B) - p<0.000; obviously planned course of operation with effortless flow from one move to the next, pre-course 0%, post-course 79% (group A) and 89,80% (group B) - p<0.000; strategically used assistants to the best advantage of all time, pre-course 0%, post-course 73,8% (group A) and 89,80% (group B) - p<0.000; improvement in dexterity, 79.5% of students post-course). The course was judged very useful by 94.8% of students. Attending suturing skill courses could be very useful for both trainees and specialists in emergency medicine.

Does Realism Matter? A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Models for Medical Student Suture Education

Background

We hypothesized that medical students trained in suturing using high-fidelity models (cadaveric tissue) would demonstrate greater proficiency when compared with those trained using low-fidelity models (synthetic tissue).

Methods

Forty-three medical students were randomized into 2 groups. Group 1 consisted of students taught to perform simple interrupted sutures using synthetic tissue, and group 2 consisted of those taught using human cadaveric tissue. Suturing proficiency was measured pre- and postinstruction using the Global Rating Scale and by measuring suture accuracy. Perceived confidence in suturing was measured on a scale of 0-100.

Results

Perceived confidence was measured as an average of 8.26 out of 100 pretraining and significantly improved after training (56.91 out of 100); however, there was no significant difference when comparing confidence between groups posttraining (57.65 cadaveric versus 56.05 synthetic; P = 0.78), nor in the measured confidence change pre- and posttraining (P = 0.53). Posttraining, participants displayed a significant improvement in the number of adequately placed sutures; however, there was no significant difference posttraining when comparing groups (2.43 cadaveric versus 2.75 synthetic; P = 0.48). The change in adequate suture placement pre- and posttraining did not reach statistical significance between groups (P = 0.27). After instruction, participants demonstrated a significant improvement in total suture performance scores; however, there was no significant difference when comparing groups (30.04 cadaveric versus 29.80 synthetic; P = 0.90), nor in the total change pre- and posttraining (P = 0.74).

Conclusions

Training medium fidelity (tissue versus synthetic) does not significantly influence a student's overall suturing performance. However, formal instruction significantly improves objective competence and perceived confidence. Regardless of the model, surgical departments should emphasize medical student exposure to basic surgical skills education.

Low-fidelity bench models for basic surgical skills training during undergraduate medical education

It is remarkable the reduction in the number of medical students choosing general surgery as a career. In this context, new possibilities in the field of surgical education should be developed to combat this lack of interest. In this study, a program of surgical training based on learning with models of low-fidelity bench is designed as a complementary alternative to the various methodologies in the teaching of basic surgical skills during medical education, and to develop personal interests in career choice.