The One Minute Preceptor: A Vital Tool During COVID-19.

The One Minute Preceptor (OMP) model of teaching has an important role to play during the COVID-19 pandemic. It's quick and easy to learn and can be applied to any clinical setting. By responding directly to a student's needs, and building on the knowledge they already hold, the OMP is able to offer relevant and opportunistic teaching that the learner can immediately apply. Finally, the OMP can be taught in under two hours meaning medical staff not used to regularly teaching can develop the confidence to offer high quality educational interventions.

Feasibility of a virtual reality course on adult tracheostomy safety skills.

The National Tracheostomy Safety Project has run high-quality, face-to-face skills courses since 2009. The aim of this project was to produce a virtual reality version of the established course and evaluate its impact on participant learning, and participant and faculty satisfaction. Healthcare staff and students were recruited and randomised to attend one of (1) a face-to-face traditional course (control); (2) a virtual reality course at a conference centre with on-site technical support; (3) a fully remote virtual reality course; the virtual reality groups were combined for the analysis of learning outcomes and satisfaction. The primary outcome was the difference in pre/post-course knowledge scores on a 30-item questionnaire; secondary outcomes included knowledge retention, usability, comfort/side effects and participant performance in a simulated tracheostomy emergency. Thirty-seven participants and 15 faculty participated in this study. There was no significant difference between mean pre/post-course scores from the face-to-face (from 21.1 to 23.1; +2) and combined virtual reality (from 17.1 to 21.1; +4) groups, with both showing improvement (p = 0.21). The mean System Usability Scale score for virtual reality was 76.8 (SD 12.6), which is above average; the median Simulator Sickness Questionnaire score was 7.5 (IQR 3.7-22.4), indicating minimal symptoms. All participants resolved the primary clinical problem in the simulated emergency, but the virtual reality (VR) group was slower overall (mean difference 61.8 s, p = 0.003). This technical feasibility study demonstrated that there was no difference in participant knowledge immediately after and 4 weeks following face-to-face and virtual reality courses. Virtual reality offers an immersive experience that can be delivered remotely and offers potential benefits of reducing travel and venue costs for attendees, therefore increasing the flexibility of training opportunities.

The role of virtual reality in the changing landscape of surgical training.

BACKGROUND: The current coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has caused unprecedented challenges to surgical training across the world. With the widespread cancellations of clinical and academic activities, educators are looking to technological advancements to help 'bridge the gap' and continue medical education. SOLUTIONS: Simulation-based training as the 'gold standard' for medical education has limitations that prevent widespread adoption outside suitably resourced centres. Virtual reality has the potential to surmount these barriers, whilst fulfilling the fundamental aim of simulation-based training to provide a safe, effective and realistic learning environment. CURRENT LIMITATIONS AND INSIGHTS FOR FUTURE: The main limitations of virtual reality technology include comfort and the restrictive power of mobile processors. There exists a clear developmental path to address these restrictions. Continued developments of the hardware and software set to deepen immersion and widen the possibilities within surgical education. CONCLUSION: In the post coronavirus disease 2019 educational landscape, virtual, augmented and mixed reality technology may prove invaluable in the training of the next generation of surgeons.

Image-guided transnasal endoscopic fine needle aspiration or biopsy of parapharyngeal space tumours.

BACKGROUND: Parapharyngeal space biopsy is an important investigation in the management of parapharyngeal space tumours. These tumours are relatively rare and the surgeon is often faced with a wide range of differential diagnoses. There are several ways to access the parapharyngeal space, with varying degrees of associated morbidity. METHODS: This paper describes a seldom used, but a simple and safe, image-guided endoscopic approach to parapharyngeal space biopsy that enables tissue to be obtained transnasally. The procedure is conducted under general anaesthesia using computed tomography image guidance via the LandmarX system, with transnasal access to the parapharyngeal space achieved using a sampling needle. RESULTS: This procedure is relatively simple, safe and reproducible. It is a less invasive approach to parapharyngeal space biopsy, and one which has been successfully used by the senior author for years without any significant morbidity. CONCLUSION: Transnasal image-guided endoscopic aspiration or biopsy of the parapharyngeal space is a novel technique that has not been previously described.

The BeSMART (Best Supportive Management for Adults Referred with Tonsillopharyngitis) multicentre observational study.

Introduction Tonsillopharyngitis is the most common ear, nose and throat emergency admission, with 80,000 episodes recorded in England in 2015-2016. Despite this, there is a paucity of evidence addressing the supportive management of tonsillopharyngitis in inpatients. The aim of this retrospective multicentre observational study was to consider the Best Supportive Management for Adults Referred with Tonsillopharyngitis (BeSMART) in the inpatient setting, and to establish any associations between practice and outcomes. Methods Seven hospitals in North West England and North East Scotland participated in the study. Overall, 236 adult patients admitted with tonsillopharyngitis were included. The main outcome measures were interval to return to soft diet, length of stay (LOS), pain scores and readmissions. Results Women were more likely to seek professional help before presenting to secondary care (p=0.04). Patients admitted at the weekend were more likely to have a shorter LOS (p=0.03). There was no relationship between day of admission and seniority or specialty of the doctor initially seen. Prescription of corticosteroid, analgesia and a higher initial intravenous fluid infusion rate were not related to a shorter LOS. Conclusions This study is the first to yield valuable insights into the inpatient management of tonsillopharyngitis. This work represents part of an ongoing project to establish the evidence for common medical interventions for sore throat. Patient and professional surveys as well as a prospective interventional study are planned for the future.