How can we mitigate the consequences of decreased surgical workload during the pandemic? Mental training and digital workflows could prove vital, as hospitals seek strategies to ensure theatre teams maintain, improve or develop their surgical skills.
Unfamiliar to the surgical team, mental training (MT) and digital workflows (DW) have in common the identification of procedural phases and a step-by-step instructional framework. We propose that MT and DW may help to alleviate the detriments of reduced practice in crisis. While the first allows for mental rehearsal of step-by-step instructions, the latter makes those surgical steps digitally available during procedures. Accessible anytime and anywhere, their use could help surgeons maintain their skills and enable trainees to improve the acquisition of skills.
Background
The COVID-19 pandemic has led to a dramatic decrease of surgical activities worldwide hindering performance at almost every stage of the learning curve with a possible impact on patient outcomes. In order to retain resources and protect citizens, health authorities suspended elective surgical procedures, ultimately reducing professionals’ hands-on practice. While undoubtedly necessary, this has been detrimental to surgical skills training for residents and skills maintenance for surgeons.1
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