Best practices in telesurgery: framework and recommendations from the society of robotic surgery (SRS) for safe and effective implementation.

This framework from the Society of Robotic Surgery offers best practices for safe, effective, and ethical telesurgery. It is based on a comprehensive literature review, Delphi consensus process, and an international meeting in Orlando, Florida, in February 2024, involving experts from a variety of domains including surgery, engineering, telecommunications, hospital administration, law, and regulatory affairs. Key areas covered include the global landscape and new models of remote surgical care, technological needs like connectivity and cybersecurity, safety standards, training and credentialing for surgical teams, and scalable implementation models.

Simulation to support transitions in the careers of surgical trainees and surgeons.

Transitions during the careers of surgical trainees and surgeons may be associated with risks that have the potential to negatively impact delivery of safe and effective patient care and the professional standing of individuals involved in delivering care. Simulation-based education interventions that address specific needs during the transitions can be very helpful in mitigating the risks. These interventions should be based on contemporary educational frameworks and strategies relating to teaching, learning, and assessment.

IMRA/SRS Delphi consensus on international standards for common core components of robotic surgical training design.

Robotic surgery has expanded internationally at pace. There are multiple local robotic training pathways but there is inconsistency in standardisation of core common components for curricula internationally. A framework is required to define key objectives that can be implemented across robotic training ecosystems.

The Blue Ribbon Committee II Report and Recommendations on Surgical Education and Training in the United States: 2024.

Objective: An expert panel made recommendations to optimize surgical education and training based on the effects of contemporary challenges.

Background: The inaugural Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC I) proposed sweeping recommendations for surgical education and training in 2004. In light of those findings, a second BRC (BRC II) was convened to make recommendations to optimize surgical training considering the current landscape in medical education.

Blue Ribbon Committee I Review: Findings and Impact.

Objective: Review the subsequent impact of recommendations made by the 2004 American Surgical Association Blue Ribbon Committee (BRC I) Report on Surgical Education.

Background: Current leaders of the American College of Surgeons and the American Surgical Association convened an expert panel to review the impact of the BRC I report and make recommendations for future improvements in surgical education.

Methods: BRC I members reviewed the 2004 recommendations in light of the current status of surgical education.

A Scoping Review of the Literature on Entrustable Professional Activities in Surgery Residency Programs.

Objective: Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are a crucial component of contemporary postgraduate medical education with many surgery residency programs having implemented EPAs as a competency assessment framework to assess and provide feedback on the performance of their residents. Despite broad implementation of EPAs, there is a paucity of evidence regarding the impact of EPAs on the learners and learning environments. A first step in improving understanding of the use and impact of EPAs is by mapping the rising number of EPA-related publications from the field of surgery.

Piloting a National Curricular Resource for the Transition to Surgical Residency: Characteristics of Participating Schools and Their Students.

Objective: To determine the extent to which U.S. Liaison Committee of Medical Education (LCME)-accredited medical schools chose to participate in piloting a national curricular resource, the American College of Surgeons/Association of Program Directors in Surgery/Association of Surgical Education Resident Prep Curriculum ("ACS-surgery-prep curriculum"), and implications of such participation for student access nationally to this resource.

A review of the American College of Surgeons accredited education institutes' assessment practices for learners, faculty, and continuous program improvement.

Purpose: Simulation is an instructional modality that offers opportunities for assessment across many domains. The American College of Surgeons created the Accredited Education Institutes (AEIs) to build a community of high-quality simulation centers focused around improving surgical education and training. The goals of this project were to identify assessment methods used by AEIs, discuss how these methods align with established assessment frameworks, identify best practices, and provide guidance on best practice implementation.

Surgical skills training for practicing surgeons founded on established educational theories and frameworks.

Following completion of structured training in residency or fellowship programs, surgeons need to acquire new skills throughout their careers to address changes in their surgical practices, and to perform new procedures and use new technologies as these are developed. The opportunities available to surgeons to acquire the new skills, safely introduce these skills into surgical practice, and then maintain the skills, vary greatly and may not fully support a surgeon's needs. The article shares background information relating to the vexing problems, and describes established educational theories and frameworks as well as specific frameworks relating to surgical skills training and verification that may be used in designing and implementing comprehensive and impactful surgical skills training programs aimed at practicing surgeons.

Surgery Clerkship Directors' Perceptions of the COVID-19 Pandemic's Impact on Medical Student Education.

Background: This study assessed the national impact of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic on the education of medical students assigned to surgery clerkship rotations, as reported by surgery clerkship directors (CDs).

Study Design: In the spring of 2020 and 2021, the authors surveyed 164 CDs from 144 Liaison Committee on Medical Education-accredited US medical schools about their views of the pandemic's impact on the surgery clerkship curriculum, students' experiences, outcomes, and institutional responses.

Results: Overall survey response rates, calculated as number of respondents/number of surveyed, were 44.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on American College of Surgeons-Accredited Education Institutes & American Society of Anesthesiologists-Simulation Education Network: Opportunities for interdisciplinary collaboration.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic presented challenges for simulation programs including American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institutes and American Society of Anesthesiologists Simulation Education Network. American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institutes and American Society of Anesthesiologists Simulation Education Network leadership were surveyed to identify opportunities to enhance patient safety through simulation.

Methods: Between January and June 2021, surveys consisting of 3 targeted domains: (I) Changing practice; (II) Contributions and recognition; and (III) Moving ahead were distributed to 100 American College of Surgeons Accredited Education Institutes and 54 American Society of Anesthesiologists Simulation Education Network centers.

American College of Surgeons Objective Assessment of Skills in Surgery (ACS OASIS): A Formative Assessment of Junior Residents' Technical Skills.

Objective: The objective assessment of technical skills of junior residents is essential in implementing competency-based training and providing specific feedback regarding areas for improvement. An innovative assessment that can be easily implemented by training programs nationwide has been developed by expert surgeon educators under the aegis of the American College of Surgeons (ACS) Division of Education. This assessment, ACS Objective Assessment of Skills in Surgery (ACS OASIS) uses eight stations to address technical skills important for junior residents within the domains of laparoscopic appendectomy, excision of lipoma, central line placement, laparoscopic cholecystectomy, trocar placement, exploratory laparotomy, repair of enterotomy, and tube thoracostomy.

One-Year Follow-Up of COVID-19 Impact on Surgical Education: Clinical Training Restored but Surgical Trainee Emotional Well-Being Still at Risk.

Background: A previous survey documented the severe disruption of the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic on surgical education and trainee well-being during the initial surge and systemic lockdowns. Herein, we report the results of a follow-up survey inclusive of the 2020 to 2021 academic year.

Study Design: A survey was distributed to education leaders across all surgical specialties in summer 2021.

Artificial Intelligence Methods and Artificial Intelligence-Enabled Metrics for Surgical Education: A Multidisciplinary Consensus.

Background: Artificial intelligence (AI) methods and AI-enabled metrics hold tremendous potential to advance surgical education. Our objective was to generate consensus guidance on specific needs for AI methods and AI-enabled metrics for surgical education.

Study Design: The study included a systematic literature search, a virtual conference, and a 3-round Delphi survey of 40 representative multidisciplinary stakeholders with domain expertise selected through purposeful sampling.

Resident Readiness for Senior Level Decision Making: Identifying the Domains for Formative Assessment and Feedback.

Objective: To establish expert consensus regarding the domains and topics for senior surgery residents (PGY-4) to make critical decisions and assume senior-level responsibilities, and to develop the formative American College of Surgeons Senior Resident Readiness Assessment (ACS SRRA) Program.

Design: The American College of Surgeons (ACS) education leadership team conducted a focus group with surgical experts to identify the content for an assessment tool to evaluate senior residents' readiness for their increased levels of responsibility. After the focus group, national experts were recruited to develop consensus on the topics through three rounds of surveys using Delphi methodology.

The American College of Surgeons Entering Resident Readiness Assessment (ACS ERRA): Validity Evidence From a Three-Year National Study.

Objective: To gather validity evidence supporting the use and interpretation of scores from the American College of Surgeons Entering Resident Readiness Assessment (ACS ERRA) Program.

Summary And Background Data: ACS ERRA is an online formative assessment program developed to assess entering surgery residents' ability to make critical clinical decisions, and includes 12 clinical areas and 20 topics identified by a national panel of surgeon educators and residency program directors.

Methods: Data from 3 national testing administrations of ACS ERRA (2018-2020) were used to gather validity evidence regarding content, response process, internal structure (reliability), relations to other variables, and consequences.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on surgical trainee education and well-being spring 2020-winter 2020: A path forward.

Background: The time course and longitudinal impact of the COVID -19 pandemic on surgical education(SE) and learner well-being (LWB)is unknown.

Material And Methods: Check-in surveys were distributed to Surgery Program Directors and Department Chairs, including general surgery and surgical specialties, in the summer and winter of 2020 and compared to a survey from spring 2020. Statistical associations for items with self-reported ACGME Stage and the survey period were assessed using categorical analysis.

Defining the need for faculty development in assessment.

Background: High-quality workplace-based assessments are essential for competency-based surgical education. We explored education leaders' perceptions regarding faculty competence in assessment.

Methods: Surgical education leaders were surveyed regarding which areas faculty needed improvement, and knowledge of assessment tools.

Preceptoring, proctoring, mentoring, and coaching in surgery.

Contemporary models of surgical education that are founded on sound educational theories and constructs need to be used across the continuum of professional development of surgeons starting with the first day of medical school, through surgery residency and fellowship training, to the last day of surgical practice. The highly learner-centered and individually-focused special interventions of preceptoring, proctoring, mentoring, and coaching should be linked to innovative competency-based education models to address the educational needs of learners at all levels, and especially of surgeons in practice to continually improve their knowledge, skills, and performance, with the aspirational goal of achieving expertise and mastery. Each of these interventions is distinct with its own unique characteristics, applications, and anticipated impact, which must be clearly recognized for the interventions to be used most effectively.

Advanced Modular Manikin and Surgical Team Experience During a Trauma Simulation: Results of a Single-Blinded Randomized Trial.

Background: Our aim was assess whether an integrated Advanced Modular Manikin (AMM) provides improved participant experience compared with use of peripheral simulators alone during a standardized trauma team scenario. Simulation-based team training has been shown to improve team performance. To address limitations of existing manikin simulators, the AMM platform was created that enables interconnectedness, interoperability, and integration of multiple simulators ("peripherals") into an adaptable, comprehensive training system.