Cataract Video Coaching: Surgical Curriculum Enhancement in a U.S. Residency Program

Abstract

The aim of this study was to examine the perceived utility of a video-coaching curriculum in cataract surgery training. This study took place in a conference room at the Emory University School of Medicine. This is an evaluation study using questionnaires after each resident's presentation. A curriculum was developed with a resident presenting surgical cases to a group of students, residents, and faculty. All participants filled out a survey focused on video coaching, performance, and an Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skill (OSATS) evaluation. Thirteen presenting residents, 99 observing residents, and 35 faculty provided responses for 12 video-coaching sessions. The average OSATS score was lower for presenting residents (3.32) compared with observing residents (4.14) and faculty (4.20) (p < 0.01). All 13 presenting and 99 observing residents as well as all 35 faculty found benefit in video coaching with the subcategories of avoiding errors and overall performance rated as the most beneficial. All 13 presenting and 99 observing residents felt comfortable presenting cases with zero preferring an alternative setting. A formal surgical video-coaching curriculum in ophthalmology is a useful adjunct to traditional surgical curricula. There was a consensus that the curriculum was beneficial for cataract surgery preparation. All participants were comfortable taking part in the curriculum and none preferred an alternative curriculum.

Keywords

• resident education
• cataract surgery
• video coaching
• curriculum
• surgical curriculum