Jeffrey D Hawel, MD, Jordan Eng, MD, James C Ellsmere, FRCSC, FACS. Dalhousie University
INTRODUCTION: We investigate the use of a mobile phone application as a platform for video-based coaching for endoscopic procedures. The educational landscape is ripe with opportunity to employ technology to facilitate continuing professional development and disseminate new techniques and ideas. Long utilized in the world of sports, coaching is a relatively new concept in surgical literature. A coach acts as a third party observer, offering a unique perspective, which, when coupled with meaningful, targeted feedback, has the potential to facilitate skill acquisition. Although previously described for both open and laparoscopic operations, to our knowledge, our study is the first to assess video-based coaching for gastrointestinal endoscopy. Our protocol and preliminary results follow.
METHODS and PROCEDURES: Our protocol employs the Modica mobile phone application to collect video of endoscopic procedures. Video and audio of the endoscopist performing the procedure, as well as the video from the endoscope, is captured. The video is then accessed from Modica’s cloud service by a group of remote peer-surgeons for review. Feedback is collected from the coaches and structured according to the previously validated scale, Global Assessment of Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Skills (GAGES). Both the endoscopists and the peer-coaches complete a questionnaire following the coaching session, assessing the platform and process of coaching through the use of video.
RESULTS: Preliminary results suggest that the application requires minimal additional time for endoscopists to use while performing their procedure. The application is self-explanatory and minimal teaching is required. Acquisition of the videos by the coaches is facilitated through the online cloud transfer function. Videos are of high quality and provide sufficient information to the coach to provide feedback to the endoscopist.
CONCLUSIONS: The use of a secure mobile phone application with cloud storage provides an ideal platform for video-based coaching. It is easy to use and minimizes time and effort required of the endoscopist, as well as the coach, all while providing an adequate means to provide assessment. It is HIPAA-compliant and does not use hospital network resources, which allows for easy adoption. Most importantly, it allows for longitudinal assessments of practicing endoscopists, and has the potential to be used as an adjunct for continuous professional development and accreditation programs for endoscopy. Further study is required to assess the use of coaching programs, and their ability to effect positive change on endoscopists.
Presented at the SAGES 2017 Annual Meeting in Houston, TX.
Abstract ID: 80916
Program Number: P279
Presentation Session: Poster (Non CME)
Presentation Type: Poster