Objective Measurement of Impact of Bench Laparoscopic Training in Novices

Abstract

Background: We are currently in the era of laparoscopic surgery. It has gained popularity in the last few decades because of its well- known advantages. Laparoscopy requires different skills from those of open surgery. In a paradigm shift, learning basic surgical skills is now performed more in the skills laboratory than in the operation theater. However, there is a lack of reliable training and assessment tools for laparoscopic surgical skills. This study aimed to objectively assess the effect of bench laparoscopic training in novices. Methods: This prospective study was conducted at the Clinical Skills Centre of Bangalore Medical College and Research Institute (BMCRI) in Bangalore, India. Sixty interns with no previous experience in laparoscopy were included. They underwent supervised training on the box trainer for 3 days, 2 hours a day, in basic surgical  tasks, including pointing dots, joining straight lines, joining curved lines, picking objects, peg transfer, and circle cut. All participants were assessed objectively in a virtual reality (VR) simulator before and after training. The objective outcomes measured were time taken, distance traveled, and error scores given by the VR simulator metrics. Results: The novices showed statistically significant improvement in all the tasks after the training compared with their skill levels before  the training. Conclusion: Structured short-term training significantly improves basic laparoscopic surgery skills.