Video-based peer feedback through social networking for robotic surgery simulation: a multicenter randomized controlled trial

• Published in: Annals of surgery Vol. 261; no. 5; p. 870
• Main Authors: Carter, Stacey C, Chiang, Alexander, Shah, Galaxy, Kwan, Lorna, Montgomery, Jeffrey S, Karam, Amer, Tarnay, Christopher, Guru, Khurshid A, Hu, Jim C
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States 01.05.2015
• Subjects: Clinical Competence; Computer Simulation; Feedback; General Surgery - education; Humans; Internship and Residency; Learning Curve; Peer Group; Robotics; Social Networking
• ISSN: 1528-1140
• DOI: 10.1097/SLA.0000000000000756

To examine the feasibility and outcomes of video-based peer feedback through social networking to facilitate robotic surgical skill acquisition. The acquisition of surgical skills may be challenging for novel techniques and/or those with prolonged learning curves. Randomized controlled trial involving 41 resident physicians performing the Tubes (Da Vinci Intuitive Surgical, Sunnyvale, CA) simulator exercise with versus without peer feedback of video-recorded performance through a social networking Web page. Data collected included simulator exercise score, time to completion, and comfort and satisfaction with robotic surgery simulation. There were no baseline differences between the intervention group (n = 20) and controls (n = 21). The intervention group showed improvement in mean scores from session 1 to sessions 2 and 3 (60.7 vs 75.5, P < 0.001, and 60.7 vs 80.1, P < 0.001, respectively). The intervention group scored significantly higher than controls at sessions 2 and 3 (75.5 vs 59.6, P = 0.009, and 80.1 vs 65.9, P = 0.019, respectively). The mean time (seconds) to complete the task was shorter for the intervention group than for controls during sessions 2 and 3 (217.4 vs 279.0, P = 0.004, and 201.4 vs 261.9, P = 0.006, respectively). At the study conclusion, feedback subjects were more comfortable with robotic surgery than controls (90% vs 62%, P = 0.021) and expressed greater satisfaction with the learning experience (100% vs 67%, P = 0.014). Of the intervention subjects, 85% found that peer feedback was useful and 100% found it effective. Video-based peer feedback through social networking appears to be an effective paradigm for surgical education and accelerates the robotic surgery learning curve during simulation.