Advancing surgical education: An evaluation of laparoscopic simulation training for medical students

Objective

To examine the medical students' awareness of laparoscopic surgery as well as assess the perceived importance of laparoscopic simulation training, and its impact on students' confidence, career aspirations, proficiency, spatial skills, and physical tolerance.

Design

Descriptive and comparative study using pre- and post-training assessments.

Setting

Simulation training sessions centred on laparoscopic surgery techniques.

Participants

Medical students in year three (n = 49) participated in laparoscopic simulation training sessions.

Results

Before the simulation training, 85.7% of students were unaware of laparoscopy, with females being less familiar than males (96.3% vs. 72.8%). 85.7% believed mastering laparoscopy was crucial before training, and 81.6% believed simulation training could enhance surgical skills. A disparity existed in this belief between the sexes, with 91% of males and 74.1% of females seeing the value in such training for skill improvement. Pretraining, males (54.5%) were more confident than females (26%) in mastering laparoscopy. Post-training, confidence increased for both groups, and the percentage of students wishing to pursue a surgical career also rose from 50% to 72.7%. Despite initial disparities in the time spent on training modules between males and females, both groups achieved similar proficiency levels by the end of the training. Although females initially lagged in spatial awareness and skills, post-training results showed significant improvement, matching their male counterparts. 26.5% of students experienced physical fatigue post-training, with a higher percentage of females (33.3%) reporting fatigue than males (18.2%). Regarding concentration during simulations, 81.8% of males could maintain focus compared to 48.2% of females.

Conclusions

Laparoscopic simulation training effectively improved the understanding, confidence, and surgical skills of medical students, with evident benefits in shaping their career aspirations. While both genders exhibited significant gains, female students faced challenges in terms of physical tolerance and initial spatial awareness. However, their post-training achievements mirrored those of their male peers, highlighting the effectiveness and importance of such simulation training programmes.