Jessica Green

The Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery program is an educational program developed by the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, which includes a handson skills training component, a cognitive component, and an assessment component for laparoscopic surgery. Its main objective is to provide surgical residents and practicing surgeons with the opportunity to learn fundamental skills and obtain the theoretical knowledge required to perform laparoscopic surgery, guaranteeing a better performance in the operating room, and thus, improving patient security. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of telesimulation for teaching the Fundamentals of Laparosopic Surgery program in Colombia. Twenty participants (ten general surgeons and ten general surgery residents) in two cities in Colombia participated in eight weekly telesimulation sessions. Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery scores were obtained for each participant before the telesimulation sessions (pre-test scores) and after telesimulation training was completed (post-test scores). Using scoring parameters developed by the Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, we found a significant improvement between pre-test and post-test scores. All the participants passed the skills component of the course. This study evidences the effectiveness of telesimulation to improve the laparoscopic skills of the participants who had no previous knowledge of the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery program, which guaranteed obtaining the necessary score for approving the practical component of the program.

Introducción. El programa “Fundamentos de Cirugía Laparoscópica” es un módulo educativo desarrollado por la Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, que incluye el desarrollo de habilidades prácticas y conocimientos teóricos en cirugía laparoscópica. Su misión principal es brindar a los residentes de las áreas quirúrgicas, y a los cirujanos en general, una herramienta adicional en su formación, para aprender los fundamentos y el conocimiento teórico necesario para la práctica de la cirugía laparoscópica, lo que garantizará un mejor desempeño en las salas de cirugía y, por ende, mayor seguridad para los pacientes. Objetivo. Evaluar la efectividad de la telesimulación para enseñar el componente práctico del programa “Fundamentos de Cirugía Laparoscópica” en Colombia. Materiales y métodos. Veinte participantes (10 cirujanos generales y 10 residentes de cirugía general) de dos ciudades de Colombia, participaron en ocho sesiones (una semanal) de entrenamiento en “Fundamentos de Cirugía Laparoscópica” mediante telesimulación. Se les hizo un examen práctico antes de las telesimulaciones, y un examen teórico y práctico, al final de las ocho sesiones. Resultados. Utilizando parámetros numéricos definidos por la Society of American Gastrointestinal Endoscopic Surgeons, se encontró diferencias significativas el examen previo y el posterior. El 100 % de los participantes aprobaron el componente práctico del programa. Conclusiones. Este estudio demuestra la efectividad de la telesimulación para mejorar las habilidades laparoscópicas de participantes sin conocimiento previo del programa “Fundamentos de Cirugía Laparoscópica”, lo que garantizó obtener el puntaje necesario para aprobar la sección práctica del programa. doi: http://dx.doi.org/10.7705/biomedica.v33i1.1425

General surgery trainees’ perceptions regarding their own laparoscopic training remain poorly defined. The objective of this survey was to identify and evaluate learner experiences with laparoscopic procedures in general surgery programs on a national level. Two hundred eighty-four residents were identified and contacted at English-speaking general surgery programs across Canada. Each was asked to complete a web- or paper-based survey regarding their demographics, experiences with basic and advanced minimally invasive surgery (MIS) procedures, and perceived barriers to training. Two hundred fifty-two of 284 (89%) surveyed residents responded. Eighty-seven percent of the residents had access to a skills lab that taught MIS techniques; however, standardized MIS curricula were implemented 53% of the time. Eighty percent of residents felt that skills lab training translated to improved performance in the OR. Although 90% of residents felt that they would be comfortable performing basic laparoscopic procedures, only 8% stated they would be comfortable performing advanced procedures at the end of their training. Moreover, 90% of general surgery residents felt that it was the academic surgical department’s responsibility to teach both basic and advanced procedures, and 35% of respondents felt their surgical program was meeting this requirement. Half of the residents felt they had limited opportunity to be a primary surgeon because an MIS fellow was present. There exists a wide disparity between the expectations of residents and their actual experience. The majority of residents are concerned that they will not acquire sufficient laparoscopic skills during their training to perform advanced cases in practice. Additionally, the balance between resident and fellow-level cases needs to be more clearly defined as the majority of respondents identified the presence of a MIS fellow as a negative learning influence. Finally, although most centers had a surgical skills lab, 47% of respondents felt that the curriculum was not standardized and this also needs to be addressed.