Journal of surgical education
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To determine if a knot-tying checklist can provide a valid score and if the checklist can be used by novice surgeons in a reliable manner. ⋯ The knot-tying checklist provides a valid score for basic surgical knot-tying and can be used by novice and experienced raters. Its use supports peer assessment of performance in a surgical skills laboratory setting.
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Injuries are a significant cause of death and disability, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Health care systems in resource-poor countries lack personnel and are ill equipped to treat severely injured patients; therefore, many injury-related deaths occur after hospital admission. ⋯ The burden of injuries in sub-Saharan Africa remains high. At this institution, road traffic injuries are the leading cause of injury and injury-related death. The most significant predictor of in-hospital mortality is the presence of head or spinal injury. These findings may be mitigated by a comprehensive injury-prevention effort targeting drivers and other road users and by increased attention and resources dedicated to the treatment of patients with head and/or spine injuries in the hospital setting.
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Traditional education consists of didactics and book learning. Recently, technology has been integrated into graduate medical education, primarily in the form of simulation. The primary aim of this study was to investigate if a novel smartphone application using technology to engage learners would improve participation in an educational activity when compared with a daily e-mail format and how this use translated to performance on standardized testing. ⋯ Technology can be used to actively engage residents. Deployment of this novel App improved participation over a daily question-answer e-mail format, and answers correlated with standardized test performance. The effect of the App on overall education is unclear, and a multi-institutional study has been initiated.
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Observational Study
Correlation between ATLS training and junior doctors' anatomical knowledge of intercostal chest drain insertion.
To review the ability of junior doctors (JDs) in identifying the correct anatomical site for intercostal chest drain insertion and whether prior Advanced Trauma Life Support (ATLS) training influences this. ⋯ Most of the JDs do not have sufficient anatomical knowledge to identify the safe insertion site for intercostal chest drain. Those who had undergone ATLS training were more likely to be able to identify the safe insertion site.
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Trauma team training provides instruction on crisis management through debriefing and discussion of teamwork and leadership skills during simulated trauma scenarios. The effects of team leader's nontechnical skills (NTSs) on technical performance have not been thoroughly studied. We hypothesized that team's and team leader's NTSs correlate with technical performance of clinical tasks. ⋯ The NTSs of trauma teams and team leaders deteriorate as clinical scenarios progress, and the performance of team leaders and teams is highly correlated. Cognitive NTS scores correlate with critical task performance. Increased attention to NTSs during trauma team training may lead to sustained performance throughout trauma scenarios. Decision making and situation awareness skills are critical for both team leaders and teams and should be specifically addressed to improve performance.