Abstract
The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of use, perceived effectiveness,
and preference for arthroscopic surgical skill training resources. An electronic survey
was sent to orthopedics residents, residency program directors, and orthopedic sports
medicine attending physicians in the United States. The frequency and perceived effectiveness
of 10 types of adjunctive arthroscopic skills training was assessed. Residents and
faculty members were asked to rate their confidence in resident ability to perform
common arthroscopic procedures. Surveys were completed by 40 of 152 (26.3%) orthopedic
residency program directors, 70 of 426 (16.4%) sports medicine faculty, and 235 of
3,170 (7.4%) orthopedic residents. The use of adjunctive methods of training varied
from only 9.8% of programs with virtual reality training to 80.5% of programs that
used reading of published materials to develop arthroscopic skill. Practice on cadaveric
specimens was viewed as the most effective and preferred adjunctive method of training.
Residents trained on cadaveric specimens reported increased confidence in their ability
to perform arthroscopic procedures. The resources for developing arthroscopic surgical
skill vary considerably across orthopedic residency programs in the United States.
Adjunctive training methods were perceived to be effective at supplementing traditional
training in the operating room.
Keywords
arthroscopy - education - training resources
