Tailored instructor feedback leads to more effective virtual-reality laparoscopic training

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Simulation
• Skill Acquisition

Background:

• Laparoscopic novices exhibit varied baseline skills, necessitating tailored training strategies.
• The efficacy of verbal instructor feedback in virtual-reality laparoscopic (VRL) simulations remains incompletely understood.
• Investigating targeted feedback for novice laparoscopic surgeons is crucial for optimizing training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the impact of intensive instructor feedback on laparoscopic novices with lower initial performance.
• To determine if a tailored training approach benefits specific skill levels in VRL simulation.
• To assess the effectiveness of limited, one-to-one feedback in surgical training.

Main Methods:

• A prospective, single-blinded study involving 20 medical students using a VRL simulator.
• Participants were divided into high-performer (HPG) and low-performer (LPG) groups based on initial scores.
• Only the LPG received standardized, one-to-one instructor feedback during the training phase.

Main Results:

• Significant initial performance disparities existed between the HPG and LPG (p < 0.005).
• Instructor feedback effectively minimized performance differences between groups during training.
• Final skill assessments showed no significant performance gap between the HPG and LPG.

Conclusions:

• This study introduces a novel tailored training concept using feedback exclusively for the low-performer group.
• The targeted feedback approach demonstrated effectiveness in improving skills for underperforming novices.
• This method offers an efficient and economical training solution for laparoscopic education.