Impact of Surgical Coaching on Resident ObGyn Laparoscopic Skills

Overview

Surgical coaching involves the development of a partnership between two surgeons in which one surgeon (coach) guides the other (coachee) in identifying goals, providing feedback and facilitating action planning. Surgical coaching provides an effective means of acquiring new technical and non-technical skills. In this study, the investigators aim to perform a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the impact of a video-based surgical coaching intervention on laparoscopic closure of the vaginal cuff among Obstetrics and Gynecology residents. Obstetrics and Gynecology resident participants will be randomly assigned to the control or intervention groups. Participants will have access to an instructional video related to laparoscopic vaginal cuff suturing and the validated laparoscopic vaginal cuff trainer to practice laparoscopic suturing as desired. The intervention group will receive the same resources as the control group and will also undergo three video-based coaching sessions focused on laparoscopic suturing on the validated laparoscopic vaginal cuff trainer. Our main outcome will consist of participants' change in technical skills of laparoscopic suturing the vaginal cuff, measured by the change in Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills Plus score (Vassiliou 2005) from baseline to study completion. Secondary outcomes will include participants' self-reported surgical confidence, operative enjoyment, and plans to incorporate surgery into their career.

During the twelve-month study period, all participants will have access to an instructional video related to laparoscopic vaginal cuff suturing and the laparoscopic vaginal cuff trainer in order to practice laparoscopic suturing as desired. All participants will keep a log of voluntary practice time on the vaginal cuff trainer. These resources will constitute the control arm of the study. Participants randomized to the surgical coaching arm (coachees) will also receive three video-based coaching sessions over the course of a twelve-month study period focused on laparoscopic suturing. Surgical coaches will include attendings and gynecologic surgery fellows who are comfortable incorporating laparoscopic suturing of the vaginal cuff at the time of hysterectomy into their own practice. The coaches participating in this study will also be listed as investigators. Surgical coaching sessions will include 30-60 minute meetings in which the coach-coachee pair reviews recorded laparoscopic suturing practice sessions to examine different aspects of surgical performance. The coachee will be responsible for providing a video of their own practice of laparoscopic vaginal cuff closure techniques which may occur in a simulation lab utilizing the validated cuff model or in the operating room. At the Cleveland Clinic, all laparoscopic surgeries at Main Campus are recorded and saved on a secure database in the cloud. Surgeries at the regional campuses, including Hillcrest, Fairview, and South Pointe are also saved on a secure tower within the operating room. These videos are taken from the laparoscopic camera and only show the operative field, without any patient identifying information. These videos are stored and commonly used for surgical review, education, and research purposes. Residents will have access to the intraoperative recordings for which they performed laparoscopic suturing. These videos will be utilized for review during the surgical coaching sessions. Additionally, at the beginning of each coaching session, individualized goals will be set by the coachee in order to facilitate discussion during the session. At the end of each session, the coachee will determine a personal action plan for which they will focus until the following coaching session. As part of the surgical coaching method, the goals and action planning are determined by the coachee based on their specific needs, with help of the coach. All research will take place within the Women's Health Institute. Coaching sessions will be performed in a quiet and private setting where the only participants are the coach/coachee pair. Comparison: * Instructional video of laparoscopic vaginal cuff suturing * Participants will have access to the laparoscopic vaginal cuff trainer in order to practice laparoscopic suturing as desired