Development, Evaluation, and Delivery of an Innovative National Undergraduate Surgical Workshop: Recognition and Management of the Acutely Unwell Surgical Patient

Abstract

Problem: Recognition and management of acutely unwell surgical patients is an important skill to which medical students have little exposure. Intervention: We present the evaluation of a novel national surgical workshop that consisted of high-fidelity simulations, lectures, case demonstrations, case discussions, and a basic surgical skills tutorial. The high-fidelity simulations re-created genuine patient encounters and were used to facilitate the acquisition of knowledge and skill in the early recognition and management of acutely unwell surgical patients. Context: The optional workshop was designed for senior medical students and delivered by surgical trainees. Students were asked to complete a 12-item evaluation questionnaire and a 26-item multiple-choice question (MCQ) quiz, which assessed their confidence; self-perceived competence; and knowledge prior to, immediately following, and 8 weeks after the workshop. Pre- and postdata were compared using student's two-tailed t test. Outcome: A total of 66 medical students from 6 UK universities attended, the majority of whom enjoyed the workshop (98.3%, n = 59). Participants' confidence rating (scale = 1–5) in assessing an unwell surgical patient improved from a mean of 2.5 (n = 47) to 4.4 (n = 60). Confidence in commencing initial management improved from a mean of 2.7 (n = 47) to 4.1 (n = 59). Confidence and self-perceived competence across 12 domains improved significantly following the workshop, two-tailed unpaired t test, t(22) = 8.64, p <.0001, d = 3.68. MCQ scores immediately following the workshop were a statistically significant improvement on the preworkshop MCQ scores (n = 44), paired two-tailed t test, t(43) = 7.76, p <.0001, d = 2.37, and the improvement was sustained 8 weeks following the workshop (n = 18), paired two-tailed t test, t(17) = 3.34, p =.0039, d = 1.62. Lessons Learned: Feedback from students was very positive and clearly demonstrated that a workshop taught by surgical trainees improved medical students’ confidence, self-perceived competence, and knowledge in the assessment and management of acutely unwell surgical patients.

Keywords:

• medical education
• simulation
• workshop
• surgery
• accutely unwell