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[Low-cost laparoscopic training: necessary time for acquiring expertise]
Raúl Montoya-Chinchilla1, Alvaro Campillo-Soto, Bogdan Pietricica
1Servicio de Urología, Hospital General Universitario JM Morales Meseguer, Murcia, Spain. drraulmontoya@hotmail.com
Cirugia Y Cirujanos
|February 19, 2013
Summary
Acquiring laparoscopic skills requires approximately 7 hours of training over 4 months using a low-cost simulator. This method significantly boosts surgeon confidence in performing procedures.
Area of Science:
- Minimally Invasive Surgery
- Surgical Education
Background:
- Laparoscopic surgery is crucial but training is costly and limited.
- There is a need for accessible, low-cost training methods.
- This study addresses the required training hours for novice surgeons.
Purpose of the Study:
- To quantify the necessary training hours for surgeons without prior laparoscopic experience.
- To evaluate a low-cost laparoscopic training method.
Main Methods:
- A low-cost laparoscopic trainer with four progressive exercises was developed.
- Residents without experience and experts performed the exercises.
- Training times were compared between groups.
Main Results:
- Training time correlates with exercise difficulty.
- Approximately 7 hours of training over 4 months yielded expert-level skills.
- Resident confidence increased by 70%.
Conclusions:
- Laparoscopic training is essential for surgical education.
- A low-cost, accessible simulator can facilitate foundational laparoscopic skills.
- This method can be a basic tool for initial surgical training.
