title: Teaching subcuticular suturing to medical students: video versus expert instructor feedback.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Given limitations in surgical educational resources, more efficient teaching methods are needed. We sought to evaluate 3 strategies for improving skills in subcuticular suturing-practice with an instructional video, practice with expert instructor supervision, and independent practice.
  
  
  METHODS
  Fifty-eight medical students volunteered for this research. Students viewed a video on subcuticular suturing then completed a pretest requiring closure of an incision in a plastic model. Students were randomized among 3 groups: practice with an instructional video (group A), practice with supervision by an expert instructor (group B), and independent practice (group C). After instruction, students completed a posttest, then a retention test 1 week later. Their performances were video recorded and evaluated using a validated scoring instrument composed of global and task-specific subscales.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Performances measured using both subscales improved significantly from pretest to post-test only for group B. However, when comparing student performances between pretest and retention posttest, significant improvements on both subscales were seen only in group A.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These results suggest that practice with an instructional video is an effective method for acquiring skill in subcuticular suturing.
authors.affiliation: Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics, Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland, USA. stuart-shippey@med.navy.mil
authors.forename: Stuart H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Shippey
authors.forename: Tiffany L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Chen
authors.forename: Betty
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Chou
authors.forename: Leise R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Knoepp
authors.forename: Craig W
authors.initials: CW
authors.lastname: Bowen
authors.forename: Victoria L
authors.initials: VL
authors.lastname: Handa
mesh_terms: D015142:Baltimore; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013337:Students, Medical; D013536:Suture Techniques; D014741:Video Recording