Evaluation of a Microsurgery Skills Workshop for Nurses

Introduction: Two microsurgery skills workshops for nurses were held in our hospital in 2013. These workshops were directed at operating theater nurses, who in their daily course of work, would be required to assist in microsurgical cases. To our knowledge, no such course has been evaluated in medical literature.

Methodology and Material: Each 4-hour course consisted of two lectures and two practical sessions, including microsurgical suture practice on a glove and end-to-end anastomosis of a vessel. The courses were evaluated using a 20-question survey, using a 5-point Likert scale for responses. The questions were designed to determine the changes in knowledge, attitudes and practices of the nurses as a result of attending the course.

Results: A total of 20 nurses attended the workshops. We achieved a response rate of 95%. All respondents reported an increase in knowledge of microsurgical skills, instruments, sutures and the use of the microscope. 95% of respondents reported that the course made it easier for them to assist microsurgery cases. 79% reported better tolerance of long microsurgical cases. All respondents reported that they would recommend the course to their colleagues.

Conclusions: Overall, the nurses had a positive view of the course. We will use the evaluation to improve future editions of the course. Other institutions may consider conducting similar courses for their nurses, in view of the positive response from our participants. The next steps would be to validate a questionnaire, which can be used to evaluate similar courses in the future.