MSk Lab pioneers the use of learning tools in orthopaedic training

A team has designed and pioneered the use of Cognitive Task Analysis learning tools in orthopaedic training in collaboration with the AO Foundation.

Mr Rahul Bhattacharyya, Mr Chinmay Gupte and Mr Rajarshi Bhattacharya, all based at Imperial's MSk Lab, produced research that proposes Cognitive Task Analysis (CTA) based learning tools as a method of improving the performance of orthopaedic trainees.

Mr Rahul Bhattacharyya, an orthopaedic registrar himself, recognised the need for innovative, accessible and easy to use learning tools in the current environment of surgical training.

Speaking about his work, Mr Rahul said: “Techniques like Virtual Reality (VR) and cadaveric simulation have been used for years in orthopaedic training, but they are expensive and not readily accessible. With this in mind, we developed the CTA based learning tools which improved the performance of novice learners significantly in the simulation setting.”

Their research has won multiple accolades, including being selected amongst the top research papers at the national British Orthopaedic Association annual conference. The team was also nominated in the Innovation in Surgical Education conference, Royal College of Surgeons, England, 2019.

The results of their research were published in leading journals worldwide and presented in prestigious national and international meetings.