Wound management curriculum design and implementation evaluation: Evidence from Peking University First Hospital

Abstract Backgroud: It is of vital importance to standardize wound management knowledge and operations in the early stage of resident training. A simulated wound management curriculum for postgraduate Year 1 surgery residents (PGY1s) was designed and its effectiveness evaluated.Methods: We used a quasi-experimental method. PGY1s in 2014 constituted the control group, while PGY1s in 2015 and 2016 constituted the intervention group. The traditional curriculum given to the control group comprised a one-hour lecture plus demonstrations by the instructor, followed by a three-hour practice session. Conversely, the curriculum given to the intervention group included a four-hour curriculum with four components. At the end of each year, the wound management curriculum was evaluated.Results: Subjective assessment showed the intervention group’s scores were significantly higher for dissociation of subcutaneous tissue and quality of suturing and knots. Objective assessment showed there was no obvious improvement in residual marking of incision margin, but the accuracy of debridement depth was greatly improved in the intervention group, the rate of spindle resection decreased and the number of key sutures was significantly higher.Conclusions: The simulated wound management curriculum for PGY1s revealed a generally satisfactory training outcome. It could be implemented in other Chinese universities.