Do procedural skills workshops during family practice residency work?
OBJECTIVE
To determine if participation in a procedural skills workshop during family practice residency affects future use of these skills in postgraduate clinical practice.


METHODS
Survey involving self-assessment of procedural skills experience and competence.


METHODS
British Columbia.


METHODS
Former University of British Columbia family practice residents who trained in Vancouver, BC, including residents who participated in a procedural skills workshop in 2001 or 2003 and residents graduating in 2000 and 2002 who did not participate in the procedural skills workshop.


METHODS
Self-assessed experience and competence in the 6 office-based procedural skills that were taught during the procedural skills workshops in 2001 and 2003.


RESULTS
Participation in a procedural skills workshop had no positive effect on future use of these skills in clinical practice. Participation in the workshop was associated with less reported experience (P = .091) in injection of lateral epicondylitis. As with previous Canadian studies, more women than men reported experience and competence in gynecologic procedures. More women than men reported experience (P = .001) and competence (P = .004) in intrauterine device insertion and experience (P = .091) in endometrial aspiration biopsy. More men than women reported competence (P = .052) in injection of trochanteric bursae. A third year of emergency training was correlated with an increase in reported experience (P = .021) in shoulder injection.


CONCLUSIONS
Participation in a procedural skills workshop during family practice residency did not produce a significant increase in the performance of these skills on the part of participants once they were in clinical practice. The benefit of a skills workshop might be lost when there is no opportunity to practise and perfect these skills. Sex bias in the case of some procedures might represent a needs-based acquisition of skills on the part of practising physicians. Short procedural skills workshops might be better suited to graduated physicians with more clinical experience.
MacKenzie
Mark S
MS
Family Practice Residency Program, University of British Columbia, Chilliwack, BC V2P 4J1. mark.mackenzie@fraserhealth.ca
Berkowitz
Jonathan
J
D001955:British Columbia; D002983:Clinical Competence; D005194:Family Practice / Q000193:education*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D012153:Retention, Psychology; D013664:Teaching Materials