Teaching Subcuticular Suturing to Medical Students: Video versus Expert Instructor Feedback

ObjectiveGiven limitations in surgical educational resources, more efficient teaching methods are needed. We sought to evaluate 3 strategies for improving skills in subcuticular suturing—practice with an instructional video, practice with expert instructor supervision, and independent practice.DesignFifty-eight medical students volunteered for this research. Students viewed a video on subcuticular suturing then completed a pretest requiring closure of an incision in a plastic model. Students were randomized among 3 groups: practice with an instructional video (group A), practice with supervision by an expert instructor (group B), and independent practice (group C). After instruction, students completed a posttest, then a retention test 1 week later. Their performances were video recorded and evaluated using a validated scoring instrument composed of global and task-specific subscales.ResultsPerformances measured using both subscales improved significantly from pretest to post-test only for group B. However, when comparing student performances between pretest and retention posttest, significant improvements on both subscales were seen only in group A.ConclusionThese results suggest that practice with an instructional video is an effective method for acquiring skill in subcuticular suturing.