Matthew Lineberry1, E Matthew Ritter2,3. 1. Zamierowski Institute for Experiential Learning, University of Kansas Medical Center and University of Kansas Health System, 3901 Rainbow Boulevard, Sudler Hall G005, Kansas City, KS, 66160, USA. mlineberry@kumc.edu. 2. Department of Surgery, Uniformed Services University of the Health, Bethesda, MD, USA. 3. Department of Surgery, The Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda, MD, USA.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: The Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) manual skills examination is a simulation-based assessment of five foundational skills in endoscopic surgery. With the FES skills exam becoming part of the board certification process in general surgery, continual investigation is needed to determine the validity with which the exam is supporting inferences and decision-making about examinees, as well as how it might be improved. METHODS: The present study retrospectively analyzed performance and demographic details for the initial 344 examinees completing the FES skills exam. RESULTS: The five tasks showed distinct degrees of difficulty, with Loop Reduction being especially difficult for examinees. Tasks related to one another positively but moderately, suggesting that the exam assesses both general and task-specific skills. The number of lower-endoscopic cases completed by an examinee strongly predicted performance, while upper endoscopy experience and career level (e.g., resident vs. fellow vs. practicing) did not. Hand dominance and the type of simulator used were not found to be related to scores. However, three demographic variables that related to one another-gender, glove size, and height-were also related to performance and pass/fail status. CONCLUSIONS: This study's results generally support the validity argument for the FES skills exam while pointing to additional investigations to be undertaken as the exam is applied more broadly.
BACKGROUND: The Fundamentals of Endoscopic Surgery (FES) manual skills examination is a simulation-based assessment of five foundational skills in endoscopic surgery. With the FES skills exam becoming part of the board certification process in general surgery, continual investigation is needed to determine the validity with which the exam is supporting inferences and decision-making about examinees, as well as how it might be improved. METHODS: The present study retrospectively analyzed performance and demographic details for the initial 344 examinees completing the FES skills exam. RESULTS: The five tasks showed distinct degrees of difficulty, with Loop Reduction being especially difficult for examinees. Tasks related to one another positively but moderately, suggesting that the exam assesses both general and task-specific skills. The number of lower-endoscopic cases completed by an examinee strongly predicted performance, while upper endoscopy experience and career level (e.g., resident vs. fellow vs. practicing) did not. Hand dominance and the type of simulator used were not found to be related to scores. However, three demographic variables that related to one another-gender, glove size, and height-were also related to performance and pass/fail status. CONCLUSIONS: This study's results generally support the validity argument for the FES skills exam while pointing to additional investigations to be undertaken as the exam is applied more broadly.
Authors: Benjamin K Poulose; Melina C Vassiliou; Brian J Dunkin; John D Mellinger; Robert D Fanelli; Jose M Martinez; Jeffrey W Hazey; Lelan F Sillin; Conor P Delaney; Vic Velanovich; Gerald M Fried; James R Korndorffer; Jeffrey M Marks Journal: Surg Endosc Date: 2013-10-08 Impact factor: 4.584
Authors: Carmen L Mueller; Pepa Kaneva; Gerald M Fried; John D Mellinger; Jeffrey M Marks; Brian J Dunkin; Kent van Sickle; Melina C Vassiliou Journal: Surg Endosc Date: 2015-07-03 Impact factor: 4.584
Authors: Adam Cheng; David Kessler; Ralph Mackinnon; Todd P Chang; Vinay M Nadkarni; Elizabeth A Hunt; Jordan Duval-Arnould; Yiqun Lin; David A Cook; Martin Pusic; Joshua Hui; David Moher; Matthias Egger; Marc Auerbach Journal: Simul Healthc Date: 2016-08 Impact factor: 1.929
Authors: Melina C Vassiliou; Brian J Dunkin; Gerald M Fried; John D Mellinger; Thadeus Trus; Pepa Kaneva; Calvin Lyons; James R Korndorffer; Michael Ujiki; Vic Velanovich; Michael L Kochman; Shawn Tsuda; Jose Martinez; Daniel J Scott; Gary Korus; Adrian Park; Jeffrey M Marks Journal: Surg Endosc Date: 2013-11-20 Impact factor: 4.584
Authors: E Matthew Ritter; Matthew Lineberry; Daniel A Hashimoto; Denise Gee; Angela A Guzzetta; Daniel J Scott; Aimee K Gardner Journal: Surg Endosc Date: 2018-07-16 Impact factor: 4.584