Purpose: To assess OB/GYN residents’ laparoscopic skills during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic had a profound impact on medical education. Necessary institutional guidelines significantly strained traditional resident learning. Ability to assess resident surgical skills was limited.
Methods: The curriculum utilized laparoscopic trainers and remote video evaluation to augment OB/GYN resident surgical training during the isolation. Residents completed standard Fundamental Laparoscopic Skills (FLS) tasks. Tasks were video recorded and observed by a remote proctor to determine accuracy and time to completion. Residents completed a pre- and post-survey using a 5-point Likert scale to assess satisfaction of the curriculum and perceived confidence in their laparoscopic skills. Descriptive statistics were used to analyze the data.
Results: This innovative remote e-curriculum allowed for continued education and resident promotion during the pandemic isolation. Upon completion of the program, all eligible residents progressed to pass the national FLS exam. All participants reported increased confidence in their laparoscopic skills and found the curriculum helpful for continued learning and assessment during the pandemic.
Discussions: The use of an interactive e-curriculum may provide remote learning opportunities to continue resident education during challenging times. Our remote education allowed for assessment of residents’ laparoscopic skills. The discreet data provided to the resident clinical competency committee allowed for continued promotion of the resident through the residency. Routine use of e-curriculum can be considered by residency programs as an adjunct to low surgical volumes.
Topics: CREOG & APGO Annual Meeting, 2022, Student, Resident, Faculty, Residency Director, Patient Care, Practice-Based Learning & Improvement, GME, Assessment, Simulation, General Ob-Gyn,
Brytanie Marshall, MD, Geisinger OB/GYN; Victoria Boyd, DO; Kendall Cunningham, MD; Kajal Angras, DO
