Prior generic arthroscopic volume correlates with hip arthroscopic proficiency: a simulator study

Background Changing trends in surgical education and patient expectation are leading to proficiency models of progression and the use of simulators. Hip arthroscopy continues to increase in frequency and has a significant learning curve mainly addressed during fellowship training. The aim of this study was to assess the impact of previous generic arthroscopic experience on performance at a simulated hip arthroscopy task in order to both estimate the minimum numbers that correlate to expert proficiency levels and to help guide selection for hip arthroscopy fellowships. Methods 52 participants were recruited to a cross-sectional study. Four ‘Consultant’ (Attending with a hip arthroscopy practice); 28 ‘Trainee’ (Residents and Fellows); 20 ‘Novice’ (Interns and medical students) performed a standardized bench top simulated hip arthroscopy task. A validated global rating scale (GRS) score and motion analysis (MA) was used to assess surgical performance. Prior arthroscopic experience was recorded from surgical elogbooks. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analyses were conducted to identify optimum cut points for task proficiency at both ‘expert’ and ‘competent’ GRS levels. Results There were significant differences between the arthroscopic ability of all experience groups based on GRS assessment (p Conclusions Performing a basic hip arthroscopy task competently requires significant previous generic arthroscopic experience. The numbers identified in this study provide targets for residents and indicate the importance of obtaining high operative numbers during residency. Program directors appointing to hip arthroscopy fellowship training posts may find these results useful as a guide during the selection process.