Successful collaborative model for trauma skills training of surgical and emergency medicine residents in a laboratory setting.

OBJECTIVES: To determine whether interdepartmental educational and technical resources could be combined to successfully train surgery and emergency medicine residents in common diagnostic and therapeutic trauma skills outside the traditional hospital setting. DESIGN: Curriculum improvement survey. SETTING: Surgical Skills Laboratory, Temple University School of Medicine, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. PARTICIPANTS: A total of 35 surgery residents (PGY 1 to 5) and 26 emergency medicine residents (PGY 1 to 3). METHODS: Emergency medicine attendings used human volunteers to train surgery residents in Focused Assessment with Sonography in Trauma (FAST). Trauma surgery attendings used a porcine model to teach emergency medicine residents tracheostomy, peripheral venous cutdown, diagnostic peritoneal lavage, tube thoracostomy, and bilateral thoracotomy. Upon completion of the courses, all residents were surveyed using a 5-point Likert scale to assess this teaching model. RESULTS: The percentage of residents reporting an improvement in knowledge levels after the course increased significantly (p < 0.003) for all skill modules (FAST, 14% vs 73%; tracheostomy, 20% vs 64%; peripheral venous cutdown, 25% vs 71%; diagnostic peritoneal lavage, 16% vs 60%; tube thoracostomy, 42% vs 92%; thoracotomy, 15% vs 42%). A significant (p < 0.05) increase in comfort levels during performance of the procedures in the clinical setting was also anticipated for all skills modules (FAST, 11% vs 60%; tracheostomy, 12% vs 50%; peripheral venous cutdown, 15% vs 31%; diagnostic peritoneal lavage, 12% vs 58%; tube thoracostomy, 35% vs 73%; thoracotomy, 0% vs 15%). PGY 1 to 4 surgery residents and PGY 1 and 2 emergency medicine residents perceived the greatest benefit (p < 0.05) from their respective courses. The overwhelming majority (89% to 100%) of surgery and emergency medicine residents felt the course was valuable and transferable to the clinical trauma setting. CONCLUSIONS: Interdepartmental collaboration between the Department of Surgery and Department of Emergency Medicine offered a unique training relationship that was a positive educational experience for all residents.