Clinical trial NCT05275829: Face-to-Face Versus Distance Learning of Basic Suturing Skills
Official title: Traditional Face-to-Face Versus Distance Learning of Basic Suturing Skills in Novice Learners
Study type: OBSERVATIONAL
Overall status: COMPLETED
Conditions: Educational Problems
Keywords: Medical Education
Suturing Skills
Face-to-Face learning
Distance Learning
Pandemic
Lead sponsor: American University of Beirut Medical Center
Sponsor class: OTHER
First posted: 2022-03-11
Enrollment: 118
Sex: ALL
Minimum age (years): 18
Maximum age (years): 25
Standard ages: ADULT
Accepts healthy volunteers: yes
Observational model: COHORT
Time perspective: PROSPECTIVE
Sampling method: PROBABILITY_SAMPLE
Study population: Pre-medical, first, and second-year medical students from a four-year Doctor of Medicine graduate-entry programme. Premedical students include senior biology, medical laboratory, and nutrition students. All participants had no previous experience with suturing. Basic suturing is one of the educational activities of the third-year medical students, before which students are not normally exposed to basic suturing skills teaching sessions. The participants were recruited via an email sent to all the potential candidates for participation in this study.

Brief summary: The main objective of this study is to determine the acceptability and effectiveness of Distance Learning (DL) of basic suturing skills in novice learners.

A prospective randomized controlled trial involving 118 pre-medical and medical students with no previous experience in suturing was conducted. Participants were randomized into two groups for learning simple interrupted suturing: F-F and DL groups (59 students in each group) . Evaluation was conducted by two independent assessors. Agreement between the assessors was calculated, and performance scores of the participants were compared between the two groups.

All the participants demonstrated their ability to place three interrupted sutures, with no significant difference in the performance between the two groups. All the respondents positively rated the teaching sessions, found them useful and enjoyable.

Distance learning of basic suturing is as effective as the face-to-face approach in novice learners

Detailed description: At our hospital, during the initial lock-down period in March and April 2020, all medical students' clinical clerkships were temporarily cancelled, and their educational activities switched to web-based remote learning, utilizing teleconferencing and commercially available web-based interactive clinical modules. Teaching surgical technical skills, such as basic suturing, presented itself as a more challenging component of the clinical education under these unusual circumstances as compared to teaching cognitive skills and knowledge, which raised questions and concerns around the effectiveness and acceptability of distance learning of basic surgical skills.

In this study, the investigators aimed to compare the effectiveness and retention of distance learning to the traditional face-to-face learning of basic (simple interrupted) suturing in novice learners. This study entails a prospective randomized trial involving two arms (traditional face-to-face versus distance learning of basic simple interrupted suturing) in pre-medical students as well as first and second year medical students at the American University of Beirut (AUB). Immediately after the teaching session as part of research, two independent surgeons assessed the students' simple interrupted suturing performance using a validated checklist and OSATS global rating.

The difference in performance was used to determine the effectiveness of distance learning of basic suturing as compared to the traditional instructional method. In addition, the students in both groups were asked to complete a questionnaire (immediately after the teaching session) to investigate their satisfaction and confidence.

Eligibility criteria: Inclusion Criteria:

* Pre-medical, first, and second-year medical students with no previous experience in suturing.

Exclusion Criteria:

* Previous experience in suturing.Refusal of enrolment.

Primary outcomes:
measure: Assessment of suturing skills in medical students via checklist
timeFrame: immediately after the intervention(suturing session)
Secondary outcomes:
measure: Assessment of suturing skills in medical students via OSATS
timeFrame: immediately after the intervention(suturing session)
Other outcomes:
measure: Questionnaire that assesses confidence and satisfaction
timeFrame: immediately after the intervention( suturing session)
Locations:
city: Beirut
country: Lebanon
facility: American University of Beirut Medical Center
Study officials:
affiliation: American University of Beirut Medical Center ; Department of Surgery
name: Ahmad Zaghal, MD, MSc, FACS, FEBPS
role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR
References: