Background: Peer assisted learning (PAL) has been rarely investigated in surgical skills training.
Aims: Describe feedback residents give peers on surgical skills with and without guidelines, determine the association between feedback and actual performance, evaluate resident satisfaction with PAL.
Method: Participants evaluated peers using a validated knot-tying checklist and provided feedback on suturing without a guideline. Feedback comments were coded by type and an expert scored performance of each participant. Residents completed a satisfaction questionnaire.
Results: Comments were generally specific. Feedback was twice as likely with the use of a guideline. Specific feedback correlated significantly with expert knot-tying score but not suturing score. Most participants felt peer feedback was helpful and were motivated to practice surgical skills after PAL sessions.
Conclusions: Surgical residents can provide high quality specific feedback to peers on surgical skills using performance guidelines. Further exploration of effective PAL methodology in surgical skills laboratory training is needed.