Ignorance of electrosurgery among obstetricians and gynaecologists

Abstract

Objective The purpose of this study was to assess the level of skill of laparoscopic surgeons in electrosurgery.Design Subjects were asked to complete a practical diathermy station and a written test of electrosurgical knowledge. Setting Tests were held in teaching and non-teaching hospitals.Sample Twenty specialists in obstetrics and gynaecology were randomly selected and tested on the Monash University gynaecological laparoscopic pelvi-trainer. Twelve candidates were consultants with 9 -28 years of practice in operative laparoscopy, and 8 were registrars with up to six years of practice in operative laparoscopy. Seven consultants and one registrar were from rural Australia, and three consultants were from New Zealand. Methods Candidates were marked with checklist criteria resulting in a pass/fail score, as well as a weighted scoring system. We retested 11 candidates one year later with the same stations. Main outcome measures No improvement in electrosurgery skill in one year of obstetric and gynaecological practice. Results No candidate successfully completed the written electrosurgery station in the initial test. A slight improvement in the pass rate to 18% was observed in the second test. The pass rate of the diathermy station dropped from 50% to 36% in the second test. Conclusion The study found ignorance of electrosurgery/diathermy among gynaecological surgeons. One year later, skills were no better.

Long-term knowledge retention following simulation-based training for electrosurgical safety: 1-year follow-up of a randomized controlled trial

“…The baseline scores of participants in this study, along with other cross-sectional studies [19,25], reflect this knowledge gap and highlight the significance of a standardized curriculum such as FUSE to teach the basic competencies required to use energy devices safely-for both trainees and surgeons. Amongst various predictors of long-term knowledge retention, one's self-perceived comfort with electrosurgical devices was actually negatively associated with long-term performance.…”

Surgeons have knowledge gaps in the safe use of energy devices: a multicenter cross-sectional study

“…However, the evidence suggesting that such a knowledge gap exists in the surgical community is relatively restricted to select populations: North American junior surgical residents and SAGES leaders, and obstetricians and gynecologists in Australian and New Zealand [5,6,8]. In order to understand the true extent of this safety problem, and in order to determine whether efforts need to be disseminated globally to promote educational interventions such as FUSE, it is important to determine knowledge levels in other groups.…”

Obstetrics and gynaecology trainees' knowledge of electrosurgical equipment

“…A study undertaken in Australia also showed ignorance of electrosurgery/diathermy among gynaecological surgeons (Mayooran et al 2004). Attending a basic surgical skills course or progressing to a SpR position did not seem to improve it significantly.…”