PROBLEM BASED LEARNING, A NOVEL TEACHING METHOD IN THE OPERATING ROOM

Rafi Avitsian MD*, Department of General Anesthesiology, Cleveland Clinic Foundation Cleveland OH 44195, U.S.A.

Purpose

The operating room is a demanding environment for resident education. Anesthesiology teaching programs are constantly challenged with the difficulty of hands-on resident training. Although problem based learning (PBLD) is utilized in medical schools and many programs include such sessions during didactics, our purpose was to see if this method could be utilized for intraoperative teaching of anesthesiology residents.

Method

Identifying key words in each subspecialty rotation is a good teaching tool to promote learning. This, along with creating a learning environment is an important task for a teacher. In the Cleveland Clinic we implemented a similar teaching method in neuroanesthesia section. Residents are reminded that the operating room is not a lecture hall and that teaching should be interactive.

A new PBLD is given to the resident at the start of each week. The case should be discussed within the operating room throughout the week with the attending and outside the operating room with peers. The residents are encouraged to come prepared with questions and discussions.

Results

Although follow-up with long-term results and comparison with the current teaching methods make an attractive project, what we currently experience is a large improvement in resident feedback for intra-operative teaching.

Conclusion

The case directed intra-operative PBLD creates a formulated educational strategy for intraoperative teaching while providing a good assessment tool for residents’ performance. The accuracy of answers, as well as the discussions in the operating room can be indicative of knowledge. Timeliness in preparing answers could measure professionalism.