Currently, surgical residency programs lack formal training in interpersonal and communication, leaving residents to develop these essential abilities solely through hands-on experience in the operating room. This education gap can make mastering these “soft skills” challenging.

But what if residents could begin honing their communication skills before they even stepped into the operating room—using innovative digital tools like Playback Health?

In December 2024, the Cureus Journal of Medical Science published a groundbreaking study that tested this idea, using Playback Health as the primary tool. The study explored whether integrating Playback Engage, a digital multimedia platform, into surgical residency could bridge this crucial skills gap.

Surgical residents, meet Playback Health

The Playback Engage feature enables healthcare providers to create audio-visual informational clips during patient interactions. Researchers introduced this tool to neurosurgical residents and tracked their self-reported comfort levels across three categories:

1. Knowledge Base
2. Technical Skillset
3. Interpersonal (Soft) Skills

The study involved PGY-2 and PGY-3 residents at a tertiary care hospital, with evaluations conducted before their rotation and again at two, four, and six months.

Key findings

Baseline

 At the start of the study, there were no significant differences in comfort levels between residents using Playback Health and those who weren’t.

2–6 Months In

• Knowledge Base: Significant improvements were observed by months four and six in areas like imaging knowledge, preoperative planning, and intraoperative expertise.
• Technical Skillset: Similar gains mirrored those in the knowledge base category.
• Interpersonal Skills: Remarkably, residents using Playback Health showed significant improvement in communication and interpersonal skills as early as two months into the study. These improvements were sustained through months four and six.

What this means for surgical education

The study demonstrated that incorporating Playback Health—particularly Playback Engage—into residency training resulted in meaningful improvements in resident confidence across all skill areas. Most notably, the tool had a profound impact on interpersonal skills, which are often overlooked in traditional surgical training.

Residents reported feeling more confident in their communication abilities, benefiting not only themselves but also attendings and patients.

Why communication skills matter

Effective communication is a cornerstone of high-quality healthcare. Clear, empathetic interactions between providers, staff, and patients lead to better patient outcomes, including:

• More accurate diagnoses.
• Earlier identification of complications.
• Increased patient trust and willingness to proceed with treatments or surgeries.

In turn, patients who trust their healthcare providers tend to experience better surgical and recovery outcomes.

No extra work for attendings

One of the standout findings from the Cureus study was that integrating Playback Health into residency education required no additional effort from attending physicians. Despite this, residents using Playback Engage gained critical skills that will serve them throughout their careers.

Better communication = better doctors

The Cureus study underscores the value of digital health tools in shaping the next generation of healthcare providers. By boosting communication skills and confidence, Playback Health is helping residents become more effective, compassionate doctors.

Ready to get started? Sign up for a free 14-day trial now, or talk to our team today.

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