Less Invasive Total Joint Arthroplasty: The Power of Education

This article demonstrates how some fundamental educational principles can be applied to the successful acquisition of new surgical skills and safe implementation of new technologies in surgical practice. The importance of deliberate practice, evaluation, and feedback are reviewed. The opportunity for error and how we can use error as a teacher are highlighted to demonstrate the important role of cognitive skills in safe surgical skill. Some questions are posed to challenge the status quo of skills education as it currently exists. The early results of new procedures often reflect the diligence of learning rather than the effectiveness of the procedure itself. The power of education is evident.

Keywords: minimally invasive hip arthroplasty, training, learning curve, skills acquisition, cognitive skills, practice