957 Lightness of Touch, Firmness of Teaching

Aim Correct surgical instrument hold is one of the first steps to being a surgeon. This project assessed the correctness of forceps handling in social media posts advertising basic surgical skills courses. This is an important topic as injudicious use of the surgical forceps, such as pinching, can damage tissue. Method Over a period of 4 months, X (Twitter) and Instagram were prospectively scanned twice a week for images of forceps handling. The images were analysed for posture of the hand, grip, application of multiple fingers and flexion of the interphalangeal joints. Images were categorised based on the body (college, professional, surgical or student society) that produced them. Results 109 images were saved, of which 50 contained forceps. Overall, only 32.4% of images contained evidence of a good hold, with pinching occurring in 7.0%. A good hold was less prevalent, and displacement of the forceps or aberrant hold more prevalent in student advertised courses. Flexion of the proximal interphalangeal joint and pinching was present across all bodies except the college. Conclusions If we wish to teach with the correct technique, then advertisements must show this in their images. This project demonstrated that all bodies show incorrect technique in at least some of their images, with student run bodies advertising poorer technique. This suggests that bodies with more senior members may teach with a greater technique. However, the project also leads to a bigger question- if bodies are not advertising with the technique are they really teaching in the correct way?