Self-reported versus observed scores in laparoscopic skills training

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Skills Training
• Laparoscopic Surgery

Background:

• Effective monitoring of basic laparoscopic skills progression is crucial but challenging due to resource limitations.
• This study addresses the difficulty in assessing trainee performance in laparoscopic skills training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the differences between self-reported and observed scores in basic laparoscopic exercises.
• To evaluate the validity of self-assessment for monitoring surgical skills development.

Main Methods:

• First- and second-year medical students practiced four basic laparoscopic tasks using a box trainer.
• Students self-reported times and errors before and after an observed session (OS) graded by a surgeon.
• Self-reported performances were compared to observed scores.

Main Results:

• No statistically significant differences were found between observed scores and self-reported scores (pre-OS and post-OS) across all laparoscopic exercises.
• Mean times and errors were similar across all practice and observed sessions.
• Observed scores showed only slight variations compared to self-reported scores.

Conclusions:

• Self-reported scores demonstrate no significant difference compared to surgeon-observed scores in basic laparoscopic skills training.
• Self-assessment is a viable and resource-conserving method for monitoring laparoscopic skills progression.
• This approach can support effective surgical education by simplifying performance evaluation.