Aims. To develop a core outcome set of measurements from postoperative radiographs that can be used to assess
Simulation use in training is rapidly becoming a mainstay educational tool seen to offer perceived benefits of a safe environment for repeated practice and learning from errors without jeopardising patient safety. However, there is currently little evidence addressing the trainees’ perspectives and attitudes of simulation training, particularly in comparison with trainers and the educational community. This study investigates orthopaedic trainees’ and trainers’ conceptions of learning from simulation-based training, exploring whether the orthopaedic community are ‘on the same page’, with respect to each other and the educational community. Qualitative research in the form of semi-structured interviews is used to identify commonalities and differences between trainee and trainer conceptions, based on respective experiences and expectations, and suggests ways of enhancing collaboration between stakeholders to achieve better alignment of conceptions. The research revealed that orthopaedic trainees and trainers conceive key themes in a similar manner: supporting the role of simulation in developing the ‘pre-trained novice’ as opposed to skill refinement or maintenance; attributing greater importance to non-technical rather than
Introduction. Analysis of registry data shows that few units achieve results better than 99·98% control limits. Implant selection is considered a predictor of outcome variation in joint replacement. We analysed the outcomes of a unit with statistically “better than expected” results and compared to all other units within the National Joint Registry for England, Wales, Northern Ireland and Isle of Man (NJR). We sought to determine whether improved implant survival following primary total hip replacement (THR) is a centre effect or mediated by implant selection. Methods. We identified 664,761 THRs in the NJR. The exposure was the unit in which the THR was implanted and the outcome all-cause revision. Net failure was estimated using Kaplan-Meier and adjusted analyses used flexible parametric survival analysis. Results. The crude 10-year revision rate for THRs was 1·7% (95% CI: 1·3, 2·3) in the exemplar centre and 2·9% (95% CI: 2·8, 3·0) elsewhere (log rank test P<0·001). Of 6,230 THRs performed in the exemplar centre, 99·9% used the same femoral stem. After restricting analyses to this stem, crude survival from other units was 2·3% (95% CI: 2·2, 2·4) (log-rank test p=0·05). Age and sex adjusted analyses, restricted to the same stem/cup combinations as the exemplar centre, show no demonstrable difference in restricted mean survival time between groups (p=0·28). Conclusion. These results suggest the “better than expected” performance of an exemplar centre can be replicated by adopting key treatment decisions, such as implant selection. These decisions are easier to replicate than
Background. For total hip arthroplasty (THA), cognitive training prior to performing real surgery may be an effective adjunct alongside simulation to shorten the learning curve. This study sought to create a cognitive training tool to perform direct anterior approach THA, validated by expert surgeons; and test its use as a training tool compared to conventional material. Methods. We employed a modified Delphi method with four expert surgeons from three international centres of excellence. Surgeons were independently observed performing THA before undergoing semi-structured cognitive task analysis (CTA) before completing successive rounds of electronic surveys until consensus. The agreed CTA was incorporated into a mobile and web-based platform. Forty surgical trainees (CT1-ST4) were randomised to CTA-training or a digital op-tech with surgical videos, before performing a simulated DAA THA in a validated fully-immersive virtual reality simulator. Results. Experts reached 100% consensus after five rounds. They defined THA in 46 steps and 52 decision points in 8 distinct procedural phases. Each phase comprised of a set of actions, cognitive demands, and critical errors and strategies. This CTA was mapped onto an open-access web-based learning tool [1]. Surgeons who prepared with CTA performed a simulated THA more efficiently (Time: 26 vs. 36 minutes and Procedural steps: 64 vs. 78), with fewer errors in instrument selection (22 vs 34 instances) and help required (6 vs. 19 instances), and with more accuracy (acetabular cup inclination error: 7° vs. 12°, anteversion error: 11° vs 19°) than those who prepared with conventional material. Discussion. This is the first validated CTA tool for arthroplasty. It provides structure for competency-based learning of this complex procedure. It is more effective at preparing orthopaedic trainees for a new procedure than conventional materials, for learning sequence, instrumentation and motor skills. Implications. Cognitive training combines education on decision making, knowledge and
Traditionally, acetabular component insertion during total hip arthroplasty (THA) is visually assisted in the posterior approach and fluoroscopically assisted in the anterior approach. The present study examined the accuracy of a new surgeon during anterior (NSA) and posterior (NSP) THA using robotic arm-assisted technology compared to two experienced surgeons using traditional methods. Prospectively collected data was reviewed for 120 patients at two institutions. Data were collected on the first 30 anterior approach and the first 30 posterior approach surgeries performed by a newly graduated arthroplasty surgeon (all using robotic arm-assisted technology) and was compared to standard THA by an experienced anterior (SSA) and posterior surgeon (SSP). Acetabular component inclination, version, and leg length were calculated postoperatively and differences calculated based on postoperative film measurement.Aims
Methods
Arthroplasty skills need to be acquired safely during training, yet operative experience is increasingly hard to acquire by trainees. Virtual reality (VR) training using headsets and motion-tracked controllers can simulate complex open procedures in a fully immersive operating theatre. The present study aimed to determine if trainees trained using VR perform better than those using conventional preparation for performing total hip arthroplasty (THA). A total of 24 surgical trainees (seven female, 17 male; mean age 29 years (28 to 31)) volunteered to participate in this observer-blinded 1:1 randomized controlled trial. They had no prior experience of anterior approach THA. Of these 24 trainees, 12 completed a six-week VR training programme in a simulation laboratory, while the other 12 received only conventional preparatory materials for learning THA. All trainees then performed a cadaveric THA, assessed independently by two hip surgeons. The primary outcome was technical and non-technical surgical performance measured by a THA-specific procedure-based assessment (PBA). Secondary outcomes were step completion measured by a task-specific checklist, error in acetabular component orientation, and procedure duration.Aims
Patients and Methods
Valid and reliable techniques for assessing performance
are essential to surgical education, especially with the emergence
of competency-based frameworks. Despite this, there is a paucity
of adequate tools for the evaluation of skills required during joint
replacement surgery. In this scoping review, we examine current
methods for assessing surgeons’ competency in joint replacement
procedures in both simulated and clinical environments. The ability
of many of the tools currently in use to make valid, reliable and
comprehensive assessments of performance is unclear. Furthermore,
many simulation-based assessments have been criticised for a lack
of transferability to the clinical setting. It is imperative that
more effective methods of assessment are developed and implemented
in order to improve our ability to evaluate the performance of skills
relating to total joint replacement. This will enable educators
to provide formative feedback to learners throughout the training
process to ensure that they have attained core competencies upon
completion of their training. This should help ensure positive patient
outcomes as the surgical trainees enter independent practice. Cite this article: