Surgeons from AO Trauma, AO Spine, and the AO Alliance recently collaborated with the AO Education Institute (AO EI) resulting in publication of a new research paper and a range of presentations at the AMEE 2023 annual conference.
Research article
Eighty-seven AO Trauma surgeons, representing 42 countries, contributed to defining assessment parameters to evaluate technical competence of seven basic trauma surgical procedures in collaboration with the Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation (CAMES). During the Delphi process, surgeons defined the technical aspects that can be used to assess a novice resident and the optimal intervals and borderline error values for each of them based on a provided fracture case. The main goals were to create a list of parameters for formative feedback in clinical settings, and to create virtual reality (VR) simulators driving learning through formative and summative feedback.
The article, “Assessment of Technical Competence in Distal Radius Fracture Fixation by A Volar Locking Plate: A Global Delphi Consensus Study,” is the first in the series. The article describes the Delphi process and the final list of 38 assessment parameters; eleven parameters pertain to reduction and temporary fixation, five to plate placement, ten to screw placement. A follow-up study will determine the validity of this instrument for summative feedback and clinical assessment.
The full, open-access article is available here: Assessment of Technical Competence in Distal Radius Fracture Fixation by a Volar Locking Plate: A Global Delphi Consensus Study - Journal of Hand Surgery (jhandsurg.org)
The full list of AO medical education research publications is available here.
2023 AMEE conference in Glasgow
The annual Association for Medical Education in Europe (AMEE) conference is the biggest international conference in health care education and this year’s event in Glasgow, Scotland, covered diverse topics including artificial intelligence (AI); technology-enhanced learning; simulation; diversity, equity, and inclusion, continuing professional development (CPD), competency-based medical education, faculty development, and more.
Bryan Ashman, AO Spine Global Spine Diploma (GSD) Program Chair, and colleagues presented the success of the GSD program in an e-poster. Naomi Amuron, AO Alliance Steering Committee Nonoperative Education Coordinator, delivered a workshop on "Scaling Surgical Education in Low- and Middle-Income Countries." In addition, several AO and AO EI representatives played key roles in organizing and participating in educational sessions.
Faculty members interested in contributing medical education expertise are encouraged to explore the possibility of submitting abstracts and joining AMEE 2024 Basel on-site or online. Please contact Monica Ghidinelli for additional information. The deadline for abstract submission is January 2024.
The extended article on AMEE 2023 is available here.