Video-based Coaching (VBC) in Gynecologic Surgery

This multi-centre, randomized controlled trial aims to assess the role of video-based coaching (VBC) in residency education in gynecologic and gynecologic oncology surgery. It involves a trainee and a surgical coach, who together review a recording of the trainee performing a surgical skill or procedure and coaching is provided for skill improvement. Resident performance will be evaluated using a standardized scoring scale by two experienced surgeons before and after the intervention and compared to the control group receiving the standard surgical teaching curriculum.

Achieving technical excellence is a core component of surgical training. Historically, a combination of didactic teaching, surgical simulation and the master-apprentice model (MAM) were the cornerstone of surgical education. With restrictions on resident duty hours and operating time with the COVID-19 pandemic and a shift to competency-based medical education, there is an opportunity to transform surgical education and improve educational efficiency. The purpose of this study is to assess the effect of video-based coaching (VBC) on resident skill acquisition in laparoscopic suturing of the vaginal vault at the time of laparoscopic hysterectomy.

Participants will include year 3 to 5 Obstetrics and Gynecology residents completing gynecology and gynecologic oncology rotations at the study sites. Participants will be randomized to the control (standard surgical curriculum) and intervention (standard curriculum and VBC) arms on the day of the first attempt. The effectiveness of VBC will be measured by the difference in baseline and post-intervention standardized blinded score between the intervention and control group during laparoscopic closure of the vaginal cuff.

All residents will be video recorded performing laparoscopic closure of the vaginal cuff at the time of hysterectomy using video recording built into the laparoscopic equipment in the operating rooms. Residents in the control group will receive standard surgical teaching (MAM), then they will be video-recorded performing the skill at their second attempt. Residents in the intervention group will receive the standard surgical teaching plus the intervention of reviewing the recorded video with the surgical coach at the end of the procedure (MAM plus VBC). The surgical coach will provide specific personalized feedback on performance and suggestions for improvement following the Wisconsin Coaching Framework during their coaching session. Participants will then be recorded on their subsequent attempt.

All raw video footage will be edited to include only the relevant portion of the film. This will facilitate the assessment process (i.e., the assessors will view only the relevant footage). The edited video segments for both groups on both attempts will be scored independently using the validated surgical assessment tool by two blinded, experienced gynecologic laparoscopists to evaluate surgical performance (blinded to attempt number and randomization group). The average score between both assessors will be used for statistical analysis. The effectiveness of VBC will be evaluated by comparing the difference in assessment scores between the baseline and post-intervention scores between the control and intervention groups.

Eligibility Criteria:
Inclusion Criteria:

* Postgraduate year (PGY) 3 to 5 residents in the Obstetrics and Gynaecology program at the University of Toronto
* Completing chief gynecology rotation at Mount Sinai Hospital (MSH) and Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre (SHSC), and gynecologic oncology rotation at University Health Network (UHN) and SHSC form Sept 2021 until June 2022

Exclusion Criteria:

* Previous participation in study on another rotation