International Microsurgery Club: An Effective Online Collaboration System

Tang, Evelyn Ting-Hsuan; Goh, Mei; Goh, Raymond H.; Ghoraba, Samir M.; Shafarenko, Mark; Hung, Pei-Tzu; Huang, Jung‐Ju; Chu, Cheng-Fong; Kwon, Soo-Ha; Hsu, An; Lin, Jennifer; Lee, Che-Hsiung; Chang, Tommy Nai-Jen

doi:10.1055/s-0040-1702158

Cited by 11 publications

(14 citation statements)

References 19 publications

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“…In contrast, offline learning maybe limited to countries without an established plastic surgery community and resources to train a large number of residents. In these countries, online platforms such as social media and online community are widely used to seek guidance and learn from the experts online [10] , [11] , [12] , [13] .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The emergence of virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic: The past, present, and future of the plastic surgery education

Cho

Hong

2021

Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery

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This is a PDF file of an article that has undergone enhancements after acceptance, such as the addition of a cover page and metadata, and formatting for readability, but it is not yet the definitive version of record. This version will undergo additional copyediting, typesetting and review before it is published in its final form, but we are providing this version to give early visibility of the article. Please note that, during the production process, errors may be discovered which could affect the content, and all legal disclaimers that apply to the journal pertain.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The emergence of virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic: The past, present, and future of the plastic surgery education

Cho

Hong

2021

Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery

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“…In our department, we have been running supplementary microsurgery training sessions by senior trainees and consult-ants, using microscopes and screens to allow for social distancing. The use of social media, such as the International Microsurgery Club (Tang et al) can also provide peer learning and communication with experts in the microsurgical community, whilst working remotely 5 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The use of social media, such as the International Microsurgery Club (Tang et al.) can also provide peer learning and communication with experts in the microsurgical community, whilst working remotely 5 .…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

COVID-19 lockdown and beyond: Home practice solutions for developing microsurgical skills.

Higgins

Thomson

Baker

et al. 2021

Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery

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Correspondence and Communications COVID-19 lockdown and beyond: Home practice solutions for developing microsurgical skills. Dear Sir, Current COVID-19 restrictions present significant challenges to Plastic Surgery training. Numerous obstacles exist; including the necessity for social distancing, global PPE shortages, virtual clinics decreasing trainee exposure to pathology, reduced face-to-face clinical teaching, and limited time in theatre. 1 Furthermore, suspension of nonurgent elective reconstruction work, including breast reconstruction, limits microsurgical training opportunities. Surgical training relies on multiple sequential practice sessions, to allow deep encoding into "muscle memory" 2 , this is particularly relevant for microsurgery where fine motor skills need to be developed. The authors present multiple practical and cost-effective solutions that allow trainees to practice microsurgical techniques from home and "upskill anywhere". These practice options are transferrable to other periods away from clinical practice, including research time and maternity leave, and can also be used to supplement clinical experience during unpredictable on-call rotas. In climates of economic instability, these techniques may prove particularly beneficial. A basic microsurgical instrument kit may be purchased online from multiple platforms at a relatively low cost (e.g. AliEx-press TM , £34). The cost of microsurgical sutures can be a limiting factor to microsurgical practice (e.g. 9.0 AliExpress TM , £0.93 each) and in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, precarious supply chains necessitate preservation of resources. Luangjarmekorn et al. describe the use of human hair and insulin needles (BD Ultra-Fine Pen Needles 4 mm × 32 G, expresschemist.co.uk, £0.13 each) to make homemade microsurgical sutures (Table 1). Feedback from trainees in their study suggested that human hair sutures (Figure 1) was a "good-excellent" standard for microsurgical practice, equal to that of standard sutures 3. This is reflected in our experience; we find that a hair of dark colour, mid length, coarse texture and wavy consistency works best. There are multiple models for microsurgical practice described in the literature, including live animal models (predominantly rats), non-live animal models such as chicken wings or thighs, pig leg, placenta vessels, and cold stored vessels. Additionally, a number of non animal models exist

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“…The International Microsurgery Club (IMC), which is a professionals-only semi-closed group on Facebook, initiated by Dr. Tommy Nai-Jen Chang in May 2016, is proof of that statement with more than 14,000 users. 12 As far as today, many other societies have got online platforms and discussion groups to pursue microsurgical learning, but no one has ever created an ambitious 2-day long online course before. Master series: microsurgery for residents was an innovative online format that we conducted.…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Master Series Microsurgery for Residents: Results from a Comprehensive Survey of a Multitudinous Online Course during COVID-19 Pandemic

Santamaría

Nahas-Combina

Altamirano-Arcos

et al. 2021

J Reconstr Microsurg

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Objective Since COVID-19 emerged, it has significantly affected medical education. Surgical training has been blocked and the learning curve flattened. However, COVID-19 led to the outbreak of multitudinous online courses. Master series: microsurgery for residents (MSMR) has been the most extensive and accessible online nonfee course transmitted so far regarding reconstructive microsurgery. The primary aim of this study was to assess the impact of the MSMR in the surgical community as an international educational tool during pandemic confinement. Patients and Methods A retrospective, observational, analytic, and transversal study was designed. An 11-item survey was sent to all the 1,513 attendees who completed at least 60% of course attendance during 2 days. Descriptive and analytic statistics were performed. The impact was measured by considering answers to questions 6 to 9 and 11 (course usefulness, microsurgery interest increase, desire to pursue a microsurgical career, attendance to in-person conferences, and overall score, respectively). Results A total of 1,111 (73.4%) of eligible subjects were included. In total, 55.8% were plastic surgery residents. After the course, 98.9% would pursue a career in reconstructive microsurgery, and 45% would stop attending in-person conferences. The overall score of the event was 9.06 ± 0.9 (from 0 to 10) regardless of the current training status. Conclusion The MSMR was a high impact course and has established a paradigm shift that will lead to an evolution in plastic surgery learning.

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International Microsurgery Club: An Effective Online Collaboration System

Cited by 11 publications

References 19 publications

The emergence of virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic: The past, present, and future of the plastic surgery education

The emergence of virtual education during the COVID-19 pandemic: The past, present, and future of the plastic surgery education

COVID-19 lockdown and beyond: Home practice solutions for developing microsurgical skills.

Master Series Microsurgery for Residents: Results from a Comprehensive Survey of a Multitudinous Online Course during COVID-19 Pandemic

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