Technical skills assessment during simulated cleft lip repair.

[INTRODUCTION] Cleft lip repair is a challenging procedure with a steep learning curve. A cleft lip simulator can augment the operating experience to shorten the learning curve. This study evaluated the efficacy of a high-fidelity cleft lip simulator using a newly developed cleft lip technical assessment tool.

[METHODS] Four plastic surgery residents and 6 fellows performed 3 sequential cleft lip repairs. Three staff surgeons performed 1 cleft lip repair. Each procedure was video recorded and assessed by 3 staff cleft surgeons using a newly developed cleft lip technical assessment scale and a previously developed global rating scale. The reliability (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]) of the assessment scores was determined. The first simulation session was compared among participants to determine whether the scales and simulator could distinguish between skill level. Learning curves were determined using successive assessment scores among the trainees.

[RESULTS] The average ICC for the cleft lip-specific and global scores were 0.72 (range 0.65-0.82) and 0.70 (range 0.60-0.79), respectively. All scale items demonstrated statistically significant interrater reliability. The staff surgeons significantly outperformed the trainees in the first simulation session for both assessment scores (p < 0.05). The trainees demonstrated improved performance after each session.

[CONCLUSIONS] A cleft lip assessment scale was developed and found to be reliable at evaluating technical skill in simulated cleft lip repair. Repeated use of the cleft lip simulator improved performance in simulated cleft lip repair.