1810 - Improving Resident Training with Videos

Objectives: Residents often have little training with the performance and context of common physical exam maneuvers, particularly involving the spine. Our goal was to assess the utility and viability of adding a training video to resident education in order to increase their abilities, knowledge, and confidence when performing a lumbar spine exam.

Design: A pre-test survey was sent to all residents in our program to assess confidence and knowledge of the spine exam.  A video demonstrating a comprehensive lumbar spine exam was distributed to all residents, then a post-video survey was used to assess changes in resident confidence and knowledge.

Results: We had a 100% response rate.  Thirty three percent had not previously been on a spine rotation, 95% felt the video added confidence to performing a spine exam, and 100% found the video to be helpful. There was a statistically significant improvement in both confidence and knowledge (p< 0.05).

Conclusions: Training videos to explain/demonstrate physical exam maneuvers of the spine are beneficial to resident learning. Having training videos available for residents to view prior to starting a spine rotation will likely better prepare them for the rotation and allow them to be more independent in a shorter time frame.