title: Impact of a clinical decision making module on the attitudes and perceptions of surgical trainees.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Decision making, a cognitive non-technical skill, is a key element for clinical practice in surgery. Specific teaching about methods in clinical decision making (CDM) is a very recent addition to surgical training curricula in the UK and Ireland. Baseline trainee opinion on decision-making modules is unknown. The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland's postgraduate training boot camp inaugural CDM module was investigated to elucidate the impact on the attitudes of CDM naïf trainees.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three standardized two-hour workshops for three trainee groups were delivered. The trainees were assessed by an anonymous questionnaire before and after the module. Change in attitude of the trainees was determined by comparing Likert scale ratings using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Fifty-seven newly appointed basic surgical trainees attended these workshops. A statistically significant rise in the proportion of candidates recognizing the importance of being taught CDM skills (P == 0.002) revealed the positive impact of the module, as did the increased understanding of different aspects of CDM like shared decision making (P == 0.035) and different styles of decision making (P == 0.013).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These observed positive changes in trainee understanding and attitude toward CDM teaching supports the adoption of standardized modules into the curricula. More study is needed to define whether these modules will have measurable sustained enhancements of CDM skills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Nikita R
authors.initials: NR
authors.lastname: Bhatt
authors.affiliation: National Surgical Training Centre, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Eva M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Doherty
authors.affiliation: National Surgical Training Centre, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Ehab
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mansour
authors.affiliation: National Surgical Training Centre, Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Oscar
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Traynor
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Adelaide and Meath Hospital, Dublin, Ireland.
authors.forename: Paul F
authors.initials: PF
authors.lastname: Ridgway
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D000066491:Clinical Decision-Making; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003479:Curriculum / Q000592:standards*; D003657:Decision Making; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000592:standards*; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000193:education*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: attitude; decision making; non-technical skill; training/trainee