Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Mar 10;5(3):e21.00021.
doi: 10.5435/JAAOSGlobal-D-21-00021.

Cognitive Training in Orthopaedic Surgery

Matthew J J Anderson  1 , Alirio J deMeireles, David P Trofa, David Kovacevic, Christopher S Ahmad, Thomas S Lynch
Affiliations
Review

Cognitive Training in Orthopaedic Surgery

Matthew J J Anderson et al. J Am Acad Orthop Surg Glob Res Rev. .

Abstract

Introduction: Over the past two decades, various factors have led to fewer opportunities for hands-on learning in the operating room among orthopaedic surgery trainees. Innovative training platforms using anatomic models, cadaveric specimens, and augmented reality have been devised to address this deficiency in surgical training, but such training tools are often costly with limited accessibility. Cognitive training is a low-cost training technique that improves physical performance by refining the way in which information is mentally processed and has long been used by professional athletes and world-class musicians. More recently, cognitive training tools have been developed for several orthopaedic surgery procedures, but the overall utility of cognitive training in orthopaedic surgery remains unknown.

Methods: The purpose of this study was to review the existing literature regarding the use of cognitive training in orthopaedic surgery and to summarize the results of investigations comparing cognitive training tools with other methods of learning. To that effect, the PubMed and Embase databases were systematically reviewed for articles related to cognitive training in orthopaedic surgery.

Results: Eleven publications met the inclusion criteria, including six randomized controlled trials. Cognitive task analysis and mental rehearsal were the most common forms of cognitive training identified. All 11 publications supported the use of cognitive training in orthopaedic surgery training. In the six randomized controlled trials, the utilization of cognitive training was associated with notably improved surgical performance and increased knowledge compared with traditional methods of learning.

Discussion: Based on the limited evidence presented in this review, cognitive training represents a promising, low-cost adjunct to traditional orthopaedic surgery training. Further efforts should be directed at developing and evaluating additional cognitive training tools for orthopaedic surgery trainees.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow diagram outlining the systematic review process.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Fitzgibbons SC, Chen J, Jagsi R, Weinstein D: Long-term follow-up on the educational impact of ACGME duty hour limits: A pre-post survey study. Ann Surg 2012;256:1108-1112. - PubMed
    1. Reznick RK, MacRae H: Teaching surgical skills: Changes in the wind. N Engl J Med 2006;355:2664-2669. - PubMed
    1. Philibert I, Friedmann P, Williams WT; ACGME Work Group on Resident Duty Hours. Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education: New requirements for resident duty hours. JAMA 2002;288:1112-1114. - PubMed
    1. Agyeman KD, Summers SH, Massel DH, Mouhanna J, Aiyer A, Dodds SD: Innovation in orthopaedic surgery education: Novel tools for modern times. J Am Acad Orthop Surg 2020;28:e782-e792. - PubMed
    1. Chikwe J, de Souza AC, Pepper JR: No time to train the surgeons. BMJ 2004;328:418-419. - PMC - PubMed