Understanding Procedural Skill Decay

Procedural skill decay poses a significant challenge for emergency physicians, especially concerning high-acuity, low-occurrence (HALO) procedures. These are skills that emergency clinicians may perform infrequently, leading to a decrease in competency if they solely rely on infrequent clinical practice. The article highlights that many physicians do not have adequate access to resources like task trainers and simulation centers, making it difficult to maintain proficiency. The authors emphasize that depending on the occurrence of rare procedures for skill maintenance is not only inadequate but potentially irresponsible, underscoring the need for structured competency maintenance strategies.