Placement of a Word catheter: a resident training model.

OBJECTIVE: The present study developed and evaluated a practical teaching model and training protocol for Word catheter placement in the treatment of a Bartholin gland cyst.

STUDY DESIGN: Residents were asked to treat a model of the female perineum, fashioned from harvested porcine tissue, with a simulated Bartholin cyst via Word catheter placement and drainage. Each resident was evaluated for procedural competence. They were retested after the viewing of a continuous 59-second video demonstrating catheter placement.

RESULTS: The model's resemblance to female genitalia was confirmed by 68% of residents. Correct diagnosis and treatment of a Bartholin gland cyst was made by 61%. The mean pretraining score was 5.5 +/- 1.46, while the post-training average was 8.2 +/- 1.20, indicating an approximate 58% increase in resident proficiency (P < .05).

CONCLUSION: A model of the female perineum fashioned from harvested porcine tissue is a suitable instructional aid in the recognition and treatment of a Bartholin cyst. Proficiency in Word catheter placement is improved through the use of the model and instructional video.