Evaluation of surgical skill among otology residents during cadaveric temporal bone dissection using an objective assessment tool

Background: The acquisition and refinement of technical skills by the surgical residents are central to surgical teaching; hence, there is increasing interest in the objective assessment of surgical competence. In the field of otology, as of now, there are limited studies for the assessment of surgical competence, also, various subjective methods are being used to assess this vital aspect of training. This study aimed to validate and use an objective assessment tool for the valuation of surgical skills in a tertiary care teaching institute in the Indian subcontinent.

Methods: Surgical competence of the residents in temporal bone dissection was assessed on a Likert scale by using a grading scale developed by Wan et al., after obtaining necessary permissions.

Results: Junior residents in ENT who had completed one year of residency in otolaryngology were asked to perform temporal bone surgery (cortical mastoidectomy) and were marked according to the proforma by two senior experienced otologists. The Cronbach's alpha value was .86 which is an indicator of good technical validity.

Conclusions: In our study, we have validated a grading scoring scale used by Wan et al. to objectively assess the ability of an otology resident to perform temporal bone surgery. It is recommended for use in Indian scenario due to its good technical validity. The use of a Likert scale to individually rate each competency makes the evaluation precise and simple.