An American Board of Surgery Pilot of Video Assessment of Surgeon Technical Performance in Surgery

Objective: The American Board of Surgery (ABS) sought to investigate the suitability of video-based assessment (VBA) as an adjunct to certification for assessing technical skills. Background: Board certification is based on the successful completion of a residency program coupled with knowledge and reasoning assessments. VBA is a new modality for evaluating operative skills that have been shown to correlate with patient outcomes after surgery. Methods: Diplomates of the ABS were initially assessed for background knowledge and interest in VBA. Surgeons were then solicited to participate in the pilot. Three commercially available VBA platforms were identified and used for the pilot assessment. All participants served as reviewers and reviewees for videos. After the interaction, participants were surveyed regarding their experiences and recommendations to the ABS. Results: To the initial survey, 4853/25,715 diplomates responded. The majority were neither familiar with VBA, nor the tools used for operative assessments. Two hu