Direct Observation of Procedural Skills in Surgery - Surgical DOPS

As part of new modernising medical careers in United Kingdom new surgical curriculum is being developed. Detailed curriculum can be found at Intercollegiate surgical curriculum project. I am going to write about various aspects of this new surgical training scheme.

Part of new curriculum is development of various forms of assessments. These assessments will supplement exams for trainees. One of these is Surgical DOPS - or Direct Observation of Procedural Skills.

As per ISCP website

Surgical DOPS is used to assess the trainees’ technical, operative and professional skills in a range of basic diagnostic and interventional procedures, or parts of procedures, during routine surgical practice and facilitate developmental feedback....

....The assessment involves an assessor observing the trainee perform a practical procedure within the workplace. Assessors do not need to have prior knowledge of the trainee. The assessor’s evaluation is recorded on a structured checklist that enables the assessor to provide verbal developmental feedback to the trainee immediately afterwards......

..... A judgement will be made at completion of the placement as to the overall level of performance achieved in each of the assessed surgical procedures.

Some useful documents

• Surgical DOPS Assessment form from ISCP
• Surgical DOPS Guidance