Criterion-based (proficiency) training to improve surgical performance.

OBJECTIVE To investigate whether training otorhinolaryngology residents to criterion performance levels (proficiency) on the Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Simulator produces individuals whose performance in the operating room is at least equal to those who are trained by performing a fixed number of surgical procedures. DESIGN Prospective cohort. SETTING Two academic medical centers in New York City. PARTICIPANTS Otorhinolaryngology junior residents composed of 8 experimental subjects and 6 control subjects and 6 attending surgeons. INTERVENTION Experimental subjects achieved benchmark proficiency criteria on the Endoscopic Sinus Surgery Simulator; control subjects repeated the surgical procedure twice. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Residents completed validated objective tests to assess baseline abilities. All subjects were videotaped performing an initial standardized surgical procedure. Residents were videotaped performing a final surgery. Videotapes were assessed for metrics by an expert panel. RESULTS Attendings outperformed the residents in most parameters on the initial procedure. Experimental and attending groups outperformed controls in some parameters on the final procedure. There was no difference between resident groups in initial performance, but the experimental subjects outperformed the control subjects in navigation in the final procedure. Most important, there was no difference in final performance between subgroups of the experimental group on the basis of the number of trials needed to attain proficiency. CONCLUSIONS Simulator training can improve resident technical skills so that each individual attains a proficiency level, despite the existence of an intrinsic range of abilities. This proficiency level translates to at least equal, if not superior, operative performance compared with that of current conventional training with finite repetition of live surgical procedures.

Open bedside tracheotomy: impact on patient care and patient safety.

OBJECTIVES: Objectives were: 1) to evaluate the impact of open bedside tracheotomy (OBT) on patient care and 2) to determine whether OBT in the intensive care unit (ICU) is a safe, cost-effective procedure. STUDY DESIGN: Retrospective chart-based review. METHODS: A total of 163 consecutive adult patients in the medical or surgical ICU who underwent OBT by the Otorhinolaryngology service from July 2007 to July 2009, in addition to the 163 consecutive adult patients who had undergone open tracheotomy in the operating room immediately prior to July 2007, were included in the study. Data examined included time intervals between initial consultation and performance of tracheotomy, complication rates, ICU length of stay, and cost considerations. RESULTS: In the group of patients examined prior to OBT, time to surgery (TTS) averaged 3.24 days in comparison to an average of 1.48 days for patients who received OBT (P < .05). Review of complications revealed no significant difference in the two study groups (odds ratio [OR], 1.42, 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.44-4.56, P = .56). The length of ICU stay decreased by 0.6 days on average in the OBT group versus the OR group, although not achieving statistical significance (P = .18). Cost analysis suggests a potential savings of $4,575 per case, resulting in approximately $745,700 saved in the OBT group. CONCLUSIONS: Review of our experience demonstrates comparable safety for tracheotomy performed bedside versus in the operating room, while offering shorter time to surgery, decreased costs, and perhaps a reduction in the length of ICU stay. These findings suggest that open bedside tracheotomy is preferable to tracheotomy performed in the operating room for patients in the ICU setting.