Investigation of objective evaluation system of anatomical knowledge and operative techniques in education for rhinologic surgery

Operative technique and approach method for the nasal and paranasal sinuses, areas of anatomical complexity and high individual variation, have been transformed dramatically in recent years with the introduction of the endoscope. However, due to surgeons' unfamiliarity with the technique and anatomical misidentification, medical errors show no sign of significant decline. As endoscopic sinus surgery (ESS) is an indirect operating procedure, conducted while watching a video monitor, it is necessary for the surgeon to become accustomed to the special properties of the endoscope, namely, the lack of perspective projection. Until now, surgical training has made repetitive use of video material and donated cadavers for skill practice, and a system of one-to-one instruction whereby instruction is received from a lead surgeon while the learner joins the actual procedure as an assistant. That is to say, there has been no objective method of evaluating individual proficiency until now. In our study, evaluation of individual anatomical knowledge and thought process until task completion, objective evaluation of surgical instrument handling and technique, and evaluation of knowledge required in actual surgeries are discussed Then an individually responsive method of surgical instruction with self-evaluation and self-cognition will be sought. (author)