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BACKGROUND: During a critical event in the labor and delivery operating room, it is crucial for team members responding to the situation to be aware of the designated leaders. Visual and verbal cues have been utilized to designate leadership in various healthcare settings; however, previous research has indicated mixed results using visual cues for role designation. METHODS: The purpose of this study was to explore the use of the red surgical hat as a visual cue of leadership during obstetric emergency simulation training. We used a mixed-methods design to analyze simulation-based education video and debriefing transcripts. RESULTS: There was a statistically significant difference in the proportion of participants who declared leadership vs. those who donned the red hat. Participants were more likely to visually declare leadership utilizing a red surgical bouffant hat than to verbally declare leadership. Most participants indicated that observing the red hat to detect leadership in the operating room was more effective than when leaders used a verbal declaration to inform others who was leading. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that utilizing a visual cue of leadership with the red surgical bouffant hat improves participant perceptions of communication of the surgical team during an obstetrical critical event in a simulation environment.
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INTRODUCTION: Near-peer instruction has grown in popularity in medical education; however, limited data exist to support its effectiveness. This study investigates the perceptions of near-peer style instruction in third-y medical students undergoing a surgical clinical clerkship. We hypothesized that near-peer instruction would provide a beneficial educational experience to third-y medical students during their surgical clinical clerkship. METHODS: The authors anonymously surveyed third-y medical students undergoing their clinical clerkship in surgery on their perception of the near-peer instruction and mentorship they received from fourth-y medical students at the beginning of the clerkship. Near-peer instruction included teaching suturing techniques, surgical procedures and anatomy, operating room literacy, and sharing anecdotal experiences. Surveys were distributed 24 h after receiving the formal instruction. RESULTS: A total of 85 students completed the survey (78% response rate). Students reported a similar or increase in value of learning from near-peer mentors compared to attending physicians (less valuable: 1.2%; just as valuable: 52.9%; more valuable: 45.9%). The majority of students indicated they would like to experience more near-peer style instruction in medical school as demonstrated in surgical clerkship training (absolutely no: 0%; probably not: 0%; on the fence: 4.7%; probably yes: 25.9%; absolutely yes: 69.4%). After experiencing near-peer instruction and mentoring, students were more interested in becoming near-peer mentors (less interested: 1.2%; just as interested: 29.4%; more interested: 69.4%). CONCLUSIONS: Students appreciate and desire near-peer instruction, seeing it as an effective learning method. Mentees undergoing near-peer style instruction have an increased interest in becoming near-peer mentors.
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Development of a tear in the abdominal wall allowing for protrusion of intra-abdominal contents is known as a hernia. This can cause pain, discomfort, and may need surgical repair. Hernias can affect people of any age or demographic. In the USA, over 1 million hernia repair procedures are performed each year. During these surgeries, it is common for a mesh to be utilized to strengthen the repair. Different techniques allow for the mesh to be placed in different anatomical planes depending on hernia location and approach. The locations are onlay, inlay, and sublay, with sublay being split into retromuscular or preperitoneal with sublay being the most commonly used. The use of an electrically active hernia repair mesh is of interest to model as electrical stimulation has been shown to improve soft tissue healing which could reduce recurrence rates. Theoretical 3D COMSOL models were built to evaluate the varying electric fields of an electrically active hernia repair mesh at each of the different anatomical planes. Three voltages were chosen (10, 20, and 30 mV) for the study to simulate a low-level electrical signal and the electric field from a piezoelectric material at the tissue layers surrounding the mesh construct. Based on the model outputs, the optimal mesh placement location was the sublay-retromuscular as this location had the highest electric field values in the connective tissues and rectus abdominis muscle, which are the primary tissues of concern for the healing process and a successful repair.