Effect of a Short Preclinical Laparoscopy Course for Interns in Surgery: A Randomized Controlled Trial

• Published in: Journal of surgical education Vol. 71; no. 2; pp. 187 - 192
• Main Authors: Van Bruwaene, Siska, MD, De Win, Gunter, MD, Schijven, Marlies, PhD, Leyn, Paul De, MD, Miserez, Marc, PhD
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: United States Elsevier Inc 01.03.2014
• Subjects: Adult; camera navigation; Clinical Competence; confidence; General Surgery - education; Humans; internship; Internship and Residency; laparoscopy; Laparoscopy - education; Medical Knowledge; Patient Care; Practice-Based Learning and Improvement; preclinical; Surgery; training; laparoscopy; Patient Care; preclinical; Medical Knowledge; confidence; camera navigation; Practice-Based Learning and Improvement; training; internship
• ISSN: 1931-7204; 1878-7452
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jsurg.2013.07.008

Objectives Surgical interns are often not well prepared and have high anxiety about the execution of basic technical skills. This study investigates whether a short preclinical course focusing on laparoscopic camera-navigating skills is useful in the preparation for internship. Design Through randomization, an experimental group who attended a short laparoscopic training session and a control group were created. Students’ interest for this training and their confidence for laparoscopic exposure during surgical internship were inquired. During internship, camera-navigating skills were assessed by the operating surgeons (using a validated global rating scale) as well as by the students themselves (using a 10-points Likert scale). Setting All research was performed in the Center for Surgical Technologies, Leuven, Belgium. Participants A total of 205 fifth-year medical students at the University of Leuven, Belgium. Results Of the control group students, 80% were interested in attending the training session. There was no difference in confidence between experimental and control group. According to the surgeons and students, there was a significant improvement in clinical performance from the first (scores on global rating and Likert scales ±50%) to the last procedure (scores ±70%) for both groups. However, there was no difference in performance between groups. Conclusions Students are very interested in attending a preclinical laparoscopic training session. However, trained students did not display higher confidence or better clinical performance during internship. Even without previous training, students are fast to acquire the necessary skills during surgical internship.