Laparoscopic training in India: need for criterion-based training and objective assessment of surgical skills

Over the past 2 decades, laparoscopic techniques have evolved from diagnostic laparoscopy to more complex procedures. Minimally invasive techniques are routinely used for bariatric, colonic and advanced gastrointestinal surgical procedures. These new techniques require highly developed psychomotor skills and place an extra demand upon surgeons to acquire, maintain and develop a wide range of operative skills in the middle of their careers. In developed countries, training is imparted in skills centres, which use various models not only to teach a skill, but also as a means of assessment, both of technical competence and of decision-making. In addition, these centres are playing an expanding role in providing credentials to surgeons and maintaining the standards of skills. In India, laparoscopic training for community surgeons is unstructured and opportunistic, while resident's training is not uniform. There is a need for structured training programmes that include giving residents and community surgeons experience in skills laboratories, alongwith an objective assessment of acquired skills.