S. A. Alnassar1, S. A. Alnassar1 1University Of British Columbia,Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
Introduction: There is a growing perception that the left handed (LH) medical students are facing difficulties while performing the clinical tasks that involve psychomotor skill, although the evidence is very limited and diverse. The present study aimed to evaluate the clinical psychomotor skills among Right-handed (RH) and left-handed (LH) medical students.
Methods: For this study, 54 (27 left handed and 27 right handed) first year medical students were selected. They were trained for different clinical psychomotor skills including suturing, laparoscopy, intravenous cannulation and urinary catheterization under the supervision of certified instructors. All students were evaluated for psychomotor skills by different instructors. The comparative performance of the students was measured by using a global rating scale, each selected criteria was allotted 5-points score with the total score of 25.
Results:There were no significant differences in the performance of psychomotor skills among LH and RH medical students. The global rating score obtained by medical students in suturing techniques was: LH 15.89±2.88, RH 16.15±2.75 (p=0.737), cannulation techniques LH 20.44±2.81, RH 20.70±2.56 (p=0.725), urinary catheterization LH 4.33±0.96 RH 4.11±1.05 (p=0.421). For laparoscopic skills total peg transfer time was shorter among LH medical students compared to RH medical students (LH 129.85±80.87 sec vs RH 135.52±104.81 sec) (p=0.825).
Conclusion:
Among LH and RH medical students no significant difference was observed in performing the common surgical psychomotor skills. Surgical skills for LH or RH might not be a result of innate dexterity but rather the academic environment in which they are trained and assessed.