Effectiveness of Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice (RCDP) on Technical and Non-Technical Skills in Chest Tube Insertion and Fixation: A Pilot Study.

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the effectiveness of Rapid Cycle Deliberate Practice (RCDP) compared to traditional simulation and Peyton's Four-Step Approach in improving technical and non-technical skills, during chest tube insertion and fixation in medical students.

DESIGN

Pilot quasi-experimental study conducted in 3 instructional cohorts. Each cohort received training through a different educational methodology: traditional simulation (control), RCDP, or Peyton's Four-Step Approach. All participants completed 2 standardized training sessions, followed by an individual simulation-based assessment. Technical performance was evaluated using the Objective Structured Assessment of Technical Skills (OSATS), patient communication skills were assessed with the CoMeD-OSCE scale, and non-technical skills such as leadership and teamwork were measured using the Non-Technical Skills for Surgeons (NOTSS) framework.

SETTING

The study was conducted between August 2024 and May 2025 at a teaching simulation center in Ecuador.

RESULTS

A total of 55 third-year medical students completed the study. The RCDP group achieved significantly higher scores in technical performance (OSATS mean 41.11, SD 8.32, p < 0.001), patient communication (CoMeD-OSCE mean 15.27, SD 3.93, p < 0.001), and non-technical skills (NOTSS mean 39.05, SD 4.97, p < 0.001) compared to the control and Peyton groups. Strong positive correlations were observed between technical and non-technical performance (OSATS and NOTSS r = 0.84; OSATS and CoMeD r = 0.61; both p < 0.001). Female students scored significantly higher in communication (p = 0.008) but not in leadership (p = 0.254).

CONCLUSIONS

RCDP is an effective educational method for enhancing both technical and non-technical competencies in chest tube insertion and fixation among medical students. The integration of RCDP into simulation-based curricula may foster comprehensive clinical skill development. Future studies with randomized designs and larger sample sizes are recommended to assess long-term retention and generalizability across diverse clinical scenarios.