title: Improving suturing workshops using modern educational theory.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The teaching of practical skills such as venepuncture and suturing are important for medical students and junior doctors alike. Despite its importance, little time is devoted to its teaching on the undergraduate curriculum. Instead, the responsibility of skills teaching often falls to senior health care professionals.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  At Aberdeen Royal Infirmary, clinicians have laid on 'after-work' skills workshops. One of the regularly run workshops is on basic suturing. Initially these sessions were run in a relatively ad-libbed and unprepared way. It was clear that these sessions were not as successful as they could be--with students failing to attain proficiency at the desired rate.
  
  
  METHODS
  It was decided to adapt the suturing workshop by adhering to current theories in modern educational practice. Using the work of Gagné and others, small changes were made to the delivery of the workshop to see if this improved student outcome.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Adapting the workshops using modern educational theory had two distinct benefits: the students enjoyed the sessions far more and attained proficiency in suturing more quickly. The article demonstrates how making small changes, which are not labour intensive, can dramatically improve the impact of a teaching session.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Surgery, Raigmore Hospital, Inverness, Scotland, UK. imthomas@ntlworld.com
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Thomas
mesh_terms: D004493:Education / Q000592:standards*; D004501:Education, Medical; D005246:Feedback; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D007722:Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice; D006801:Humans; D017145:Models, Educational; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013536:Suture Techniques / Q000193:education*; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D006113:United Kingdom