Measuring surgical competency in facial trauma: the Arch Bar Placement Assessment Scale. Ann Plast Surg 2014 Sep;73(3):299-303
Date
06/14/2013Pubmed ID
23759961DOI
10.1097/SAP.0b013e31827aeb37Scopus ID
2-s2.0-84988973336 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 9 CitationsAbstract
BACKGROUND: Surgical education is in a period of significant change. Assessment of surgical competency is imprecise compared with cognitive knowledge and judgment. A surgical competency measurement tool may be useful for plastic surgery training programs and certification societies. We present a validation study of a novel measurement instrument for arch bar placement and dental wire handling.
METHODS: An Arch Bar Placement Assessment Scale (ABPAS) was created via consensus by 2 craniofacial and 2 maxillofacial surgeons. Residents and faculty members of plastic and maxillofacial surgery (n = 20) then placed an arch bar on the lower jaw of a skull model. Performances were video recorded without revealing identities. Two study groups were created based on subjects experience level: group 1 (n = 10) previously placed fewer than 25 arch bars; group 2 (n = 10) previously placed more than 25 arch bars. Two craniofacial surgeons used the ABPAS to blindly grade surgical performance.
RESULTS: The ABPAS consisted of a 48-point rating scale that included a 23-point task-specific work list and a 25-point global rating scale. Pearson coefficient showed limited intraobserver (P = 0.97) and interobserver (P = 0.95) variance of test scores. The ABPAS demonstrated superior performance in group 2 in the task-specific work list [12.6 (5.5) vs 17.6 (1.5), P = 0.02], global rating scale [17.4 (4.4) vs 22 (2.1), P = 0.01], and ABPAS score [30 (9.8) and 39.6 (3.2), P = 0.01].
CONCLUSIONS: The ABPAS is a novel measurement tool which assesses technical surgical skill and can identify surgical competency in arch bar placement and dental wire handling. This tool may have future use in residency training and continuing education.
Author List
Flores RL, Havlik RJ, Choi M, Heidelman JF, Bennett JD, Tholpady SAuthor
Robert Havlik MD Chair, Professor in the Plastic Surgery department at Medical College of WisconsinMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
Clinical CompetenceFacial Bones
Humans
Maxilla
Skull
Surgery, Plastic