Cary Jo R Schlick, MD, Yue-Yung Hu, MD, MPH, Jane L Holl, MD, MPH, Karl Y Bilimoria, Jonah J Stulberg. Northwestern University
OBJECTIVE OF THE TECHNOLOGY OR DEVICE: The technical skill of operating surgeons is associated with post-operative complications, yet few options exist to support practicing surgeons in the continuous improvement of their technical skills. Support for practicing surgeons to learn new operative techniques is likewise limited. Traditional didactic CME opportunities are poorly aligned with adult learning theory; while formative assessments, consisting of qualitative, descriptive feedback on an individual’s performance are more likely to improve surgical care. We developed Video-based feedback for the Improvement of Surgical Technique (VISTA) to provide a safe environment for practicing surgeons to improve existing techniques and learn new surgical skills through peer feedback, while earning educational credits for their efforts.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TECHNOLOGY AND METHOD OF ITS USE OR APPLICATION: VISTA is a secure, web-based, platform developed for surgeons by surgeons. Participating surgeons may submit anonymous videos of operative procedures for which they would like to receive peer feedback. They also have the opportunity to review their colleagues’ videos and submit anonymous feedback. Participants are required to complete standardized training to provide actionable, constructive, procedure-specific feedback. Each component supports surgical learning, and CME credit may be received for these activities.
PRELIMINARY RESULTS: Our prior work on video-based coaching for colectomy found that a surgeon’s technical skill score was associated with patient outcomes. Variation in technical skill among practicing surgeons accounted for 27.5% of the variation in the rate of complications. VISTA, an online formative assessment of intraoperative technique, is currently accessible to surgeons across the Illinois Surgical Quality Improvement Collaborative. VISTA currently offers collaboration across five surgical procedures: Laparoscopic Appendectomy, Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy, Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair (TEP), Laparoscopic Inguinal Hernia Repair (TAPP), and Laparoscopic Ventral Hernia Repair.
CONCLUSION/FUTURE DIRECTIONS: VISTA was recently implemented across Illinois. Our goal is to make VISTA accessible to all surgeons, regardless of their practice environment, geographic/travel limitations, and/or prior training. Other immediate priorities include expansion to include other procedures and improvement of our website capabilities. Participant feedback will guide further improvements in VISTA’s features and usability such that we can meet the practicing surgeons’ need for meaningful feedback and rapid surgical technical improvement.
Presented at the SAGES 2017 Annual Meeting in Houston, TX.
Abstract ID: 98908
Program Number: ET010
Presentation Session: Emerging Technology Session
Presentation Type: Podium