Abstract

Introduction: Utilizing alternative teaching tools has become necessary in the time of social distancing due to COVID 19. We examine the trainers and trainee's satisfaction with videoconferencing as an adjunct for postgraduate surgical teaching.

Methods: Twenty-one general surgery case-based discussions were conducted via videoconferencing between 30 March and 19 May 2020 in a university hospital. Each session was led by a trainee and moderated by a consultant-trainer. Trainees rated each session on the video-conferencing technology, social interaction and user satisfaction through an online questionnaire. A summation survey was also performed by the trainers and trainees.

Results: The trainees found that the video-conferencing platform and audio quality were acceptable for communication while the audio lag was not significant. Both trainers and trainees agreed that the sessions were moderated well and provided adequate opportunity for discussion. Overall ratings were above average with most agreeing that the sessions were both didactic and interactive. In the summation survey, the trainees found that the training was relevant to their practice (91%) and enabled them to conduct a more evidence-based practice (93%). All the trainers and 62% of the trainees found that attendance was easy and convenient. Whilst the majority of the trainers (71%) and trainees (89%) were willing to participate in future video-conferencing sessions, only 50% of trainers and 69% of trainees agreed that video-conferencing could replace traditional teaching methods.

Conclusions: Postgraduate surgical trainers and trainees were satisfied with videoconferencing as a supplementary tool for teaching in general surgery. However, it could not totally replace the traditional methods of teaching.

Additional Information

This presentation was given at the SES 2020 online conference, 4 July 2020.