Effectiveness of reflective exercises for obstetrics and gynaecological residents.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the effectiveness of reflective exercises in obstetrics and gynaecology (OB/GY) residents for the improvement in certain identified skills. STUDY DESIGN: Experimental study. PLACE AND DURATION OF STUDY: Gynaecology Unit III, Services Institute of Medical Sciences / Services Hospital, Lahore, from September 2009 to August 2010. METHODOLOGY: Twenty-four residents from all 4 years of residency program were included in the study after their informed consent. The competencies identified were surgical skills, professionalism, communication skills and critical appraisal skills. The reflective exercises evaluation was done on questionnaire designed for this purpose. RESULTS: The results showed that the residents initially had underdeveloped ability to engage into purposeful reflective exercises, which improved with practice and showed encouraging results. Reflective exercises particularly helped in improvement of surgical skills as opposed to other identified competencies. CONCLUSION: Regular engagement of postgraduate trainees in reflective exercises in a purposeful manner has encouraging results in terms of improvement in surgical, communication, critical appraisal skills and has a role in boosting professionalism among residents. However, a longitudinal multicentre study can give better insight regarding the effectiveness of this practice.