Background: Operative trauma volume for general surgery residents (GSR) continues to decline. This pilot study examines the impact of utilizing perfused cadavers in trauma surgical skills training for GSR.
Methods: GSR (post graduate year (PGY) 1 through 4) participated in trauma surgical skills training utilizing perfused cadavers. GSR completed surveys assessing confidence in their ability to perform critical procedures before and after training.
Results: Sixteen GSR participated in trauma skills training. All PGY 1-2, reported increases in confidence in skills. PGY 4 GSR reported significant increase in confidence in most skills sets including surgical airway, resuscitative thoracotomy/cardiac injury, and abdominal vascular injury. The majority of GSR retained confidence in these skills at 6 months.
Conclusions: Integration of perfused cadavers into GSR curriculum provides high fidelity and dynamic model for training trauma surgical skills. Studies are needed for development and validation of this training and assessment method.
Keywords: Operative skills curriculum; Operative trauma training; Perfused human cadavers; Resident education; Surgical skill training.
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