Recovery of Surgical Training Through Extended Laparoscopic Simulation Training

• Published in: Curēus (Palo Alto, CA) Vol. 13; no. 10; p. e18695
• Main Authors: Hamid, Mohammed, Siddiqui, Zohaib, Aslam Joiya, Shaheer
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Palo Alto Cureus Inc 12.10.2021; Cureus
• Subjects: Curricula; Feedback; General Surgery; Laparoscopy; Medical Education; Medical Simulation; Medical students; Pandemics; Recovery (Medical); Response rates; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2; Simulation; Skills; Surgery; Training; United Kingdom > UK
• ISSN: 2168-8184; 2168-8184
• DOI: 10.7759/cureus.18695

IntroductionThe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has adversely affected surgical training internationally. Laparoscopic surgery has a steep learning curve necessitating repetitive procedural practice. We evaluate the efficacy of short- and long-duration simulation training on participant skill acquisition to support the recovery of surgical training. MethodsA prospective, observational study involving 18 novice medical students enrolled in a five-week course. Nodal timed assessments involved three tasks: hoop placement, stacking of sugar cubes and surgical cutting. One month post-completion, we compared the ability of six novice course participants to that of six surgical trainees who completed a smaller portion of the course curriculum.ResultsCourse participants (n=18) completed tasks 111% faster on their third and last course attempt. The surgical trainee group (n=6) took 46% longer to complete tasks compared to the six re-invited course participants, whose ability continued to advance on their fourth effort with a combined 154% earlier completion time compared to try one.ConclusionsThis study supports the adoption of a structured, extended, regular and spaced-out simulation course or curriculum to cultivate greater skill acquisition and retention amongst surgical trainees, and improve patient care.