BACKGROUND: Simulators are useful tools in the development of laparoscopic skills. However, little is known about the effectiveness of short laparoscopic training sessions and how retention of skills occurs in surgical trainees who are naïve to laparoscopy. This study analyses the retention of laparoscopic surgical skills in medical students without prior surgical training. METHODS: A group of first- and second-year medical students (n = 68), without prior experience in surgery or laparoscopy, answered a demographic questionnaire and had their laparoscopic skills assessed by the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) training protocol. Subsequently, they underwent a 150-minute training course after which they were re-tested. One year after the training, the medical students' performance in the simulator was re-evaluated in order to analyse retention. RESULTS: Of the initial 68 students, a total of 36 participated throughout the entire study, giving a final participation rate of 52 %. Thirty-six medical students with no gender predominance and an average age of 20 years were evaluated. One year after the short training programme, retention was 69.3 % in the peg transfer (p < 0.05) and 64.2 % in ligature (p < 0.05) compared with immediate post-training evaluation. There was no significant difference in suturing. The average sample score in the baseline test was 8.3, in the post-training test it was 89.7, and in the retention test it was 84.2, which corresponded to a skill retention equivalence of 93 %. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant retention of the laparoscopic surgical skills developed. Even 1 year after a short training session, medical students without previous surgical experience showed that they have retained a great part of the skills acquired through training.
BACKGROUND: Simulators are useful tools in the development of laparoscopic skills. However, little is known about the effectiveness of short laparoscopic training sessions and how retention of skills occurs in surgical trainees who are naïve to laparoscopy. This study analyses the retention of laparoscopic surgical skills in medical students without prior surgical training. METHODS: A group of first- and second-year medical students (n = 68), without prior experience in surgery or laparoscopy, answered a demographic questionnaire and had their laparoscopic skills assessed by the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) training protocol. Subsequently, they underwent a 150-minute training course after which they were re-tested. One year after the training, the medical students' performance in the simulator was re-evaluated in order to analyse retention. RESULTS: Of the initial 68 students, a total of 36 participated throughout the entire study, giving a final participation rate of 52 %. Thirty-six medical students with no gender predominance and an average age of 20 years were evaluated. One year after the short training programme, retention was 69.3 % in the peg transfer (p < 0.05) and 64.2 % in ligature (p < 0.05) compared with immediate post-training evaluation. There was no significant difference in suturing. The average sample score in the baseline test was 8.3, in the post-training test it was 89.7, and in the retention test it was 84.2, which corresponded to a skill retention equivalence of 93 %. CONCLUSIONS: There was a significant retention of the laparoscopic surgical skills developed. Even 1 year after a short training session, medical students without previous surgical experience showed that they have retained a great part of the skills acquired through training.
Authors: Kyle R Wanzel; Stanley J Hamstra; Marco F Caminiti; Dimitri J Anastakis; Ethan D Grober; Richard K Reznick Journal: Surgery Date: 2003-11 Impact factor: 3.982
Authors: Gerald M Fried; Liane S Feldman; Melina C Vassiliou; Shannon A Fraser; Donna Stanbridge; Gabriela Ghitulescu; Christopher G Andrew Journal: Ann Surg Date: 2004-09 Impact factor: 12.969
Authors: Esther M Bonrath; Barbara K Weber; Mathias Fritz; Soeren T Mees; Heiner H Wolters; Norbert Senninger; Emile Rijcken Journal: Surgery Date: 2012-02-16 Impact factor: 3.982
Authors: Dimitrios Stefanidis; James R Korndorffer; Sarah Markley; Rafael Sierra; Daniel J Scott Journal: J Am Coll Surg Date: 2006-04 Impact factor: 6.113
Authors: Lauren B Mashaud; Antonio O Castellvi; Lisa A Hollett; Deborah C Hogg; Seifu T Tesfay; Daniel J Scott Journal: Surgery Date: 2010-07-01 Impact factor: 3.982
Authors: Bruce Negrello Nakata; Worens Cavalini; Eduardo A Bonin; Paolo R Salvalaggio; Marcelo P Loureiro Journal: Surg Endosc Date: 2017-02-24 Impact factor: 4.584
Authors: Muhammad Abdullah Arain; Saleema Begum; Amir H Shariff; Sadaf Khan; K M Inam Pal; Muhammad Rizwan Khan; Muhammad Ali; Jan Ringers Journal: J Educ Health Promot Date: 2022-04-28