An Analysis of Media Usage in a Surgical Education Program

Abstract

Introduction In the United Kingdom (UK), the General Medical Council (GMC), the regulatory authority for doctors, emphasizes teaching competence in its Good Medical Practice guidelines. Teaching experience is also a key criterion in core and specialty training applications. In response to these expectations, we established the Surgical trainee interest group (STIG), a collaborative platform for junior doctors focused on addressing training needs, particularly in teaching. Through STIG, we developed and implemented a peer-led education program aimed at enhancing teaching skills and supporting the development of individual teaching portfolios. The program included quarterly teaching sessions on surgical topics and preparatory courses for specialty applications, conducted over one year (2022-2023). Traditional teaching programs are often resource-intensive and challenging to organize. Media can help bridge this gap by enhancing teaching delivery, improving learner comprehension and retention, and fostering collaboration through broader access to educational opportunities. In our program, teaching sessions were delivered online using platforms such as Medall and Microsoft Teams. Recruitment and dissemination of activities were primarily conducted via social media. This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness and challenges of integrating media into a surgical teaching program for resident doctors. Given the limited literature on media use in surgical education, our research provides valuable insights into the advantages and limitations of leveraging digital platforms for medical teaching. Methods Resident doctors who participated in the teaching program were asked to complete an online feedback form at the end of each session. The form included questions assessing the effectiveness of media integration within the teaching program. Only participants who provided consent and submitted the feedback form were included in the analysis; no exclusion criteria were applied. Quantitative feedback was collected using a 5-point Likert scale, and a comments section was provided for qualitative feedback. To explore perspectives on media usage, semi-structured interviews were conducted with the tutors. All data were subsequently collected and analyzed. Results Forty participants attended our teaching sessions on the Medall platform, while 12 attended via Microsoft Teams. The on-demand content from our sessions recorded a total watch time of 784 minutes. Respondents rated the use of media with an average score of 4.5 on a 5-point Likert scale. Many respondents agreed that the use of media was effective in supporting teaching delivery. Positively themed comments were noted, while challenges and areas for improvement were also identified. Tutors reported that media enhanced their ability to deliver effective teaching and supported the overall objectives of the program. Conclusion Our analysis highlights the role of media in medical education. We evaluated the effectiveness and challenges associated with media integration in a surgical teaching program. The study demonstrated that media, when integrated into surgical education, is effective in enhancing teaching delivery. While the pivotal role of media in instruction was evident, several challenges were identified that warrant further improvement.

Keywords: educator training program; media education; medical education; online teaching; post graduate medical education; social media; specialty training.