Evaluation of the impact of undergraduate use of clinical skills laboratory on House-Officers’ (Medical Interns) skills in Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Authors

  • Rex F.O.A. Ijah PAMO University of Medical Sciences, and Department of Surgery, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeria.
  • Christie N. Mato University of Port Harcourt / University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, and PAMO University of Medical Sciences (on Sabbatical) Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.
  • Friday E. Aaron Rivers State University, and Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
  • Nkemsinachi M. Onodingene PAMO University of Medical Sciences, and Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria
  • Olubusola T. Alagbe-Briggs University of Port Harcourt, and University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Keywords:

Clinical skills laboratory, usage and impact, newly qualified doctors, Port Harcourt, Nigeria

Abstract

Background: Use of sophisticated technology should be complementary to clinical skills. A decline in these skills in both developed and developing climes has been observed. The aim of ths study therefore was to evaluate the opinion of newly qualified Medical Doctors on the impact of the use of clinical skills laboratory during undergraduate medical training in Port Harcourt in the year 2021.

 Materials and Methods: A cross-sectional descriptive study was carried out among newly qualified House Officers working in two Teaching Hospitals in Port Harcourt, using a self-administered questionnaire; data was collated and analyzed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20.0.

Results: The mean age of the respondents was 27.94±3.05 years. The mean knowledge score of non-technical clinical skills was 30.28±2.27. The mean knowledge score of technical clinical skills was 65.29 ± 3.56. Seventy-three (70.0%) respondents had clinical skills laboratory in their medical school, and 60 (66.7%) underwent some formal training in clinical skills laboratory. While the first experience at clinical practice on patients was exciting for 60 (66.7%) respondents, it was full of struggles / difficulty for 28 (31.1%) respondents.

Conclusion: Although majority of the respondents had above average scores for both technical and non-technical clinical skills, some deficiencies were observed in some technical clinical skills where the scores were comparatively low. Some interns had never been exposed to clinical /simulator skills laboratory. We recommend the establishment of clinical skills / simulator laboratory as educational resources in training institutions where this is not available.

Author Biographies

Rex F.O.A. Ijah, PAMO University of Medical Sciences, and Department of Surgery, Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Senior Lecturer & Consultant General Surgeon

Christie N. Mato, University of Port Harcourt / University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, and PAMO University of Medical Sciences (on Sabbatical) Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Professor of Anesthesiology and Consultant Anesthesiologist

Friday E. Aaron, Rivers State University, and Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Senior Lecturer, and CMD/Consultant Orthopedics and Trauma Surgeon

Nkemsinachi M. Onodingene , PAMO University of Medical Sciences, and Rivers State University Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria

Senior Lecturer and Consultant Clinical Hematologist

Olubusola T. Alagbe-Briggs , University of Port Harcourt, and University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State, Nigeria.

Senior Lecturer and Consultant Anesthesiologist

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Published

2022-10-21

How to Cite

Ijah, R. F. O. A., Mato , C. N., Aaron , F. E., Onodingene , N. M.-A., & Alagbe-Briggs , O. T. (2022). Evaluation of the impact of undergraduate use of clinical skills laboratory on House-Officers’ (Medical Interns) skills in Port Harcourt, Nigeria. The Nigerian Health Journal, 22(3), 270–277. Retrieved from https://tnhjph.com/index.php/tnhj/article/view/606

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