The introduction of reforms in higher surgical training in trauma and orthopaedics in the UK has highlighted the problems in assessing trainees with regards to quality and quantity of training.

The logbook has been the traditional record of operative skills training. We have reviewed such training records from trauma and orthopaedic trainees in the pre- Calman training era. A postal questionnaire was sent to twenty trauma and orthopaedic consultants in 1997 who had recently finished pre- Calman orthopaedic higher surgical training.