Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills to Teach and Study Retention of Fourth-Degree Laceration Repair Skills

Abstract

Abstract Background Fourth-degree perineal lacerations are a serious but infrequent complication of childbirth. Objective We studied the long-term effect of an educational workshop on the knowledge and ability of obstetrics and gynecology residents to repair fourth-degree lacerations. Methods We assessed obstetrics and gynecology residents' baseline knowledge and skill of fourth-degree laceration repair by using a written examination and the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS). After the educational intervention (a lecture, a demonstrational video, and practice on a model), residents completed a written and OSATS posttest. Six months later, residents took the same posttests to determine their level of retention. Another group of residents who had not attended the workshop also took the tests at the 6-month mark and served as a control group. Results A total of 17 residents were in the intervention group and 11 residents in the control group. The pretest written examination mean was 6.1/10 and the OSATS mean was 10.9/18. After the workshop, the written mean increased to 9.1/10 and the OSATS to 16.6/18. This improvement was statistically significant (P < .01). Compared to the pretest, the 6-month follow-up scores had a statistically significant increase (written mean, 8.0/10, P < .01, and OSATS mean 15.5/18, P < .01). Conclusions Residents improved on the written examination and OSATS after the educational workshop and maintained this improvement for 6 months. This intervention may prepare graduating residents for repairing future fourth-degree lacerations they may not have encountered during training.