Transferability and Cost-effectiveness of PROSPECT in Surgical Trainees

University Ghent

Status: Completed

Conditions: Vascular Disease

Treatments: Other: additional curriculum (E-learning + simulation); Other: additional E-learning

Study type: Interventional

Funder types: Other

Identifiers

NCT01965860

2013/783

Details and patient eligibility

About

To design, validate and prove cost-effectiveness of a comprehensive endovascular simulation curriculum consisting of cognitive and psychomotor skills training for endovascular management of symptomatic vascular disease in the lower limbs.

Full description

The main goal is to design a comprehensive endovascular simulation curriculum consisting of cognitive and psychomotor skills training for endovascular management of symptomatic vascular disease in the lower limbs (Rutherford classification 2-5; stenosis or occlusion in the iliac, superficial femoral and popliteal arteries). The curriculum will consist of E-learning, video-based learning and simulation exercises on the Virtual Reality simulator on which an endovascular procedure will be simulated.

Skills transferability to real life practice will be verified by means of a RCT. In this RCT the investigators will compare the cognitive knowledge and technical performance of curricular trained surgical trainees with conventionally trained trainees during treatment of patients under supervision. The hypothesis states that surgeons trained within the PROSPECT curriculum will show improved technical knowledge of endovascular treatment of atherosclerotic disease in the iliac, superficial femoral and popliteal arteries and will demonstrate increased technical proficiency in the angiosuite in comparison with surgeons who received only conventional training. Subjects will be surgical trainees (N=32). They will be randomized into a three groups: a control group (N=11), a group that only has access to E-learning (N=10) and a PROSPECT group (N=11). Both groups will continue their traditional clinical education and the PROSPECT group will additionally be trained within this endovascular curriculum. The investigators hope that this study may ultimately lead to an improvement in the quality of patient care by standardizing competencies of endovascular operators in training and practice.

Additionally a cost-effectiveness analysis of PROSPECT compared to traditional training modalities will be executed. A successful training program is expected to lead to a shortening of the learning curve, reduction in number of errors during real life procedures and more efficient use of hybrid angio suites. The financial impact of potentially shorter duration of endovascular interventions will be studied and compared to time investment and additional costs associated with stepwise, supervised training using VR simulators.

Enrollment: 39 patients

Sex: All

Ages: 18 to 65 years old

Volunteers: Accepts Healthy Volunteers

Inclusion criteria

• Surgical trainee
• Knowledge and technical skill level evaluated
• Demographics questionnaire and general MCQ test completed
• 2 endovascular simulated exercises completed after familiarization with the simulator

Exclusion criteria

Trial design

Primary purpose: Health Services Research

Allocation: Randomized

Interventional model: Parallel Assignment

Masking: Single Blind

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39 participants in 3 patient groups

PROSPECT

Experimental group

Description:

the trainee will study four modules of E-learning (basic endovascular skills module, iliac artery module, superficial femoral artery module and postoperative care module). After studying each module the trainee will complete a Multiple Choice Questionnaire and perform a simple and a complex exercise on the simulator.

Treatment:

Other: additional curriculum (E-learning + simulation)

CONTROL

No Intervention group

Description:

The trainee will continue clinical education without additional curriculum, but will be allowed to study independently.

E-LEARNING

Experimental group

Description:

the trainee will study four modules of E-learning (basic endovascular skills module, iliac artery module, superficial femoral artery module and postoperative care module). After studying each module the trainee will complete a Multiple Choice Questionnaire, no simulation.

Treatment:

Other: additional E-learning