Neonatal mortality and video assessment of resuscitation in four district hospitals in Pemba, Tanzania.

Background: We aimed to assess risk factors for neonatal mortality, quality of neonatal resuscitation (NR) on videos and identify potential areas for improvement.

Methods: This prospective cohort study included women in childbirth and their newborns at four district hospitals in Pemba, Tanzania. Videos were analysed for quality-of-care.

Video recording as an objective assessment tool of health worker performance in neonatal resuscitation at a district hospital in Pemba, Tanzania: a feasibility study.

Objectives: To assess the feasibility of using video recordings of neonatal resuscitation (NR) to evaluate the quality of care in a low-resource district hospital.

Design: Prospective observational feasibility study.

Setting: Chake-Chake Hospital, a district hospital in Pemba, Tanzania, in April and May 2019.

Unannounced vs announced in situ simulation of emergency teams: Feasibility and staff perception of stress and learning.

Background: Simulation-based medical education, often used for teaching teamwork, can be conducted in different settings: off-site (simulation centers or other settings away from clinical units) or in situ (real clinical environment), where the latter can be either announced or unannounced. Simulation in general, but especially unannounced in situ simulation, has been described as stressful and stress can affect learning. The aim of this study was to evaluate feasibility and the perception of learning and stress.

Development of a written assessment for a national interprofessional cardiotocography education program.

Background: To reduce the incidence of hypoxic brain injuries among newborns a national cardiotocography (CTG) education program was implemented in Denmark. A multiple-choice question test was integrated as part of the program. The aim of this article was to describe and discuss the test development process and to introduce a feasible method for written test development in general.

Simulation-based camera navigation training in laparoscopy-a randomized trial.

Background: Inexperienced operating assistants are often tasked with the important role of handling camera navigation during laparoscopic surgery. Incorrect handling can lead to poor visualization, increased operating time, and frustration for the operating surgeon-all of which can compromise patient safety. The objectives of this trial were to examine how to train laparoscopic camera navigation and to explore the transfer of skills to the operating room.

Evaluation of Procedural Simulation as a Training and Assessment Tool in General Surgery-Simulating a Laparoscopic Appendectomy.

Background: Laparoscopic appendectomy is a commonly performed surgical procedure, but few training models have been described for it. We examined a virtual reality module for practising a laparoscopic appendectomy.

Methods: A prospective cohort study with the following 3 groups of surgeons (n = 45): novices (0 procedures), intermediates (10-50 procedures), and experienced (>100 procedures).

Training and Assessment of Hysteroscopic Skills: A Systematic Review.

Objective: The aim of this systematic review was to identify studies on hysteroscopic training and assessment.

Design: PubMed, Excerpta Medica, the Cochrane Library, and Web of Science were searched in January 2015. Manual screening of references and citation tracking were also performed.

Implementation of a Cross-specialty Training Program in Basic Laparoscopy.

Background And Objectives: Several surgical specialties use laparoscopy and share many of the same techniques and challenges, such as entry approaches, equipment, and complications. However, most basic training programs focus on a single specialty. The objective of this study was to describe the implementation of a regional cross-specialty training program for basic laparoscopy, to increase the flexibility of educational courses, and to provide a more efficient use of simulation equipment.

Randomized trial to examine procedure-to-procedure transfer in laparoscopic simulator training.

Background: Laparoscopic simulation has become a standard component of surgical training, but there is limited knowledge regarding skills transfer between procedural tasks. The objective was to investigate the specificity of procedural simulator training.

Methods: This was randomized single-centre educational superiority trial.

Three-dimensional versus two-dimensional vision in laparoscopy: a systematic review.

Background: Laparoscopic surgery is widely used, and results in accelerated patient recovery time and hospital stay were compared with laparotomy. However, laparoscopic surgery is more challenging compared with open surgery, in part because surgeons must operate in a three-dimensional (3D) space through a two-dimensional (2D) projection on a monitor, which results in loss of depth perception. To counter this problem, 3D imaging for laparoscopy was developed.

Procedural specificity in laparoscopic simulator training: protocol for a randomised educational superiority trial.

Background: The use of structured curricula for minimally invasive surgery training is becoming increasingly popular. However, many laparoscopic training programs still use basic skills and isolated task training, despite increasing evidence to support the use of training models with higher functional resemblance, such as whole procedural modules. In contrast to basic skills training, procedural training involves several cognitive skills such as elements of planning, movement integration, and how to avoid adverse events.

Can both residents and chief physicians assess surgical skills?

Background: It is known that structured assessment of an operation can provide trainees with useful knowledge and potentially shorten their learning curve. However, methods for objective assessment have not been widely adopted into the clinical setting. This might be because of a lack of expertise using an assessment tool.

Objective assessment of surgical competence in gynaecological laparoscopy: development and validation of a procedure-specific rating scale.

Objective: The purpose of this study was to develop a global- and a procedure-specific rating scale based on a well-validated generic model (objective structured assessment of technical skills) for assessment of technical skills in laparoscopic gynaecology. Furthermore, we aimed to investigate the construct validity and the interrater agreement (IRA) of the rating scale. We investigated both the gamma coefficient (Kendall's rank correlation), which is a measure of the strength of dependence between observations, and the kappa value for each of the ten individual items included in the rating scale.

Evaluation in mammalian oocytes of gene transcripts linked to epigenetic reprogramming.

The mature mammalian metaphase II (MII) oocyte has a unique ability to reprogram sperm chromatin and support early embryonic development. This feature even extends to the epigenetic reprogramming of a terminally differentiated cell nucleus as observed in connection with somatic cell nuclear transfer. Epigenetic nuclear reprogramming is highly linked to chromatin structure and includes covalent modifications of DNA and core histone proteins as well as reorganization of higher-order chromatin structure.

Objective assessment of gynecologic laparoscopic skills using the LapSimGyn virtual reality simulator.

Background: Safe realistic training and unbiased quantitative assessment of technical skills are required for laparoscopy. Virtual reality (VR) simulators may be useful tools for training and assessing basic and advanced surgical skills and procedures. This study aimed to investigate the construct validity of the LapSimGyn VR simulator, and to determine the learning curves of gynecologists with different levels of experience.

Treatment of severe fetal chylothorax associated with pronounced hydrops with intrapleural injection of OK-432.

We describe a case of a 25-week fetus with severe bilateral pleural effusion, marked ascites, skin edema, an anterior thick (hydropic) placenta and polyhydramnios in which the most probable diagnosis was congenital chylothorax. Treatment with a pleuroamniotic shunt was planned, however the location of the fetus just below the anterior placenta made the placement of the shunt too dangerous. We therefore decided to use intrapleural injection of OK-432.

Published models and local data can bridge the gap between reference values of lung function for children and adults.

The aim of this study was to create reference equations for pulmonary function tests (PFTs) that span the age range from childhood to young adulthood. PFT results (forced vital capacity (FVC), forced expiratory volume in one second (FEV1), ratio of FEV1 to FVC (FEV1/FVC), total lung capacity (TLC), transfer factor) of 348 healthy 13-24 yr old Caucasian never-smokers from a local population study were compared with 13 selected sets of published reference equations. Predicted and observed PFT results differed significantly for 63 of 92 reference equations tested, and most equations accounted poorly for the increase in PFT variables which takes place during adolescence.