An "intermediate curriculum" for advanced laparoscopic skills training with virtual reality simulation.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Medical Simulation
• Laparoscopic Surgery Training

Background:

• Virtual reality (VR) simulators offer a safe environment for surgical skill acquisition.
• Developing and validating VR curricula is crucial for effective surgical training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To establish face and construct validity for a novel VR curriculum for intermediate laparoscopic surgeons.
• The curriculum focuses on enhancing precision and bimanual coordination through five distinct exercises.

Main Methods:

• A prospective study was conducted with 69 participants (residents, consultants, experts) across Dutch hospitals.
• Participants completed three runs of five VR exercises, with performance metrics (time, path length, collisions, displacement) analyzed.
• A post-exercise questionnaire assessed perceived training capacity and curriculum suitability.

Main Results:

• Expert surgeons significantly outperformed other groups in speed (4/5 exercises) and displacement (2/4 relevant exercises).
• The curriculum received a median score of 4/5 for training capacity.
• 92.6% of participants found the curriculum suitable for residency programs.

Conclusions:

• The VR curriculum demonstrates face and construct validity for intermediate laparoscopic surgeons.
• The findings support the curriculum's utility for training and assessing residents and consultants.
• This VR tool can aid in maintaining and improving laparoscopic skills.