Using the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) global rating scale to evaluate the skills of surgical trainees in the operating room

TLDR

The education of surgical trainees should be based on an accurate evaluation of their surgical skill levels. We conducted this study to demonstrate the validity and accuracy of the OSATS for assessing surgical skills in the operating room (OR) setting. The study used the OSATS global rating scale from 2007 to 2010 to evaluate ten trainees in various operations, correlating their postgraduate year with their OSATS scores. Median OSATS scores rose with experience, differed significantly across postgraduate years 3–5, and the scale proved feasible and effective for assessing trainee skills in the OR.

Abstract

The education of surgical trainees should be based on an accurate evaluation of their surgical skill levels. In our hospital, the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS) is used for this purpose. We conducted this study to demonstrate the validity and accuracy of the OSATS for assessing surgical skills in the operating room (OR) setting. Between January, 2007 and December, 2010, the OSATS global rating scale was used to assess several operations in which surgical trainees participated. We assessed ten surgical trainees who participated as the main surgeon or first assistant, and studied the correlation between their postgraduate year and their OSATS score. The median score of the global rating scale for each trainee improved with each year of experience. The median scores of all trainees in postgraduate years 3, 4, and 5 were significantly different (p < 0.001 for both the main surgeon and first assistant roles; Kruskal–Wallis test). Using the OSATS global rating scale to assess the surgical skills of trainees in the OR was feasible and effective.