Learning from mistakes: could flawed practice make better surgeons?
NCT ID NCT06729372
First seen Jun 24, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026 · Updated 2 times
Summary
This study tested whether deliberately making errors during simulation-based training helps medical students learn better than avoiding errors. 70 medical students practiced placing a dynamic hip screw on a simulator. One group was instructed to make and learn from mistakes, the other to avoid them. Researchers then tested their skills on a retention test and a transfer test to see which training method led to better long-term learning and ability to adapt to a new task.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only — not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Deliberate Flawed Performance (behavioral training method)
- What this could lead to
- If this approach works, it could lead to more effective simulation-based training for surgeons, potentially reducing errors in real surgeries.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-stage educational study with 70 medical students, not a clinical trial for a treatment. Results may not apply to experienced surgeons or real-world settings.
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Copenhagen Academy for Medical Education and Simulation
Copenhagen, 2100, Denmark
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