Evaluation of Urology Residents’ Perception of Surgical Theater Educational Environment

PurposeTo evaluate surgical theater learning environment perception in urology residents in Saudi Arabia and to investigate association of learning environment perception and stages of residency program, sectors of health care system, and regions of Saudi Arabia.DesignA cross-sectional survey using the surgical theater educational environment measure (STEEM) inventory.Settings and ParticipantsThe STEEM inventory was used to measure theater learning environment perception of urology residents in Saudi Arabia. Respondents’ perception was compared regarding different residency stages, sectors of the health care system, and regions of Saudi Arabia. Internal reliability of the inventory was assessed using the Cronbach α coefficient. Correlation analysis was done using the Spearman ρ coefficient.ResultsOf 72 registered residents, 33 (45.8%) completed the questionnaire. The residents perceived their environment less than acceptable (135.9 ± 16.7, 67.95%). No significant differences in perception were found among residents of different program stages, different sectors of health care system, or different regions in Saudi Arabia. Residents from the eastern region perceived the training and teaching domain better (p = 0.025). The inventory showed a high internal consistency with a Cronbach α of 0.862.ConclusionsSTEEM survey is an applicable and reliable instrument for assessing the learning environment and training skills of urology residency program in Saudi Arabia. Urology residents in Saudi Arabia perceived the theater learning environment as less than ideal. The perceptions of theater learning environment did not change significantly among different stages of the program, different sectors of health care system, or different training regions of Saudi Arabia assuring the uniformity of urology training all over Saudi Arabia. The training programs should address significant concerns and pay close attention to areas in surgical theater educational environment, which need development and enhancement, mainly planned fashion of training, supportive supervision and hospital environment, and proper coverage and management of workloads.