The effect of presenting surgical case reports on self-confidence and clinical self-efficacy of operating room students

Self-confidence and self-efficacy are two important factors for improving the clinical competence of paramedical students. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of presenting surgical case report on self-confidence and clinical self-efficacy of operating room students.

This is a semi-experimental study of two-group, which was conducted on 60 operating room students at Isfahan University of Medical Sciences in 2018. Students were randomly divided into two experimental and control groups using easy sampling method. In the experimental group, case-report peresentation was performed on the day of surgery and presented daily during the course of the training. Pre-test and post-test were performed by clinical self-efficacy and self-confidence questionnaires in two groups before and after the intervention. Statistical tests were t-test, paired t test, chi-square test and Mann–Whitney.

The mean of self-efficacy and self-confidence before intervention was not significantly different between the two groups (P>0.05). mean and standard deviation of self-efficacy after intervention in the experimental group were (42.18±8.27) that was significantly higher than control group (34.31±18.90) (P<0.05) (t=2.09). Also, the mean and standard deviation of self-esteem after intervention in the experimental group were (20.53±5.27) that was significantly higher than control group (15.30±8.70) (P<0.05) (t=2.82).

The results indicate that reporting the surgical procedures and presenting them during the internship period has improved clinical self-efficacy and confidence of operating room students. Accordingly, applying educational aids can improve clinical performance.