Endoscopy simulation for medical students

[Is] the endoscopy simulator a popular and effective novel approach to teaching? Medical simulation can bridge the educational gap between the classroom and the clinical environment, and is an established tool in teaching aspects of the undergraduate curriculum. We have investigated whether the endoscopy simulator is a popular and effective novel approach to teaching some of the year-3 gastroenterology learning objectives.

Feedback questionnaires were collected over two terms for tutorials on upper gastrointestinal (GI) bleeding and diarrhoea designed around the endoscopy simulator.

Both tutorials received uniformly positive feedback from the students who attended: 26/26 (100%) and 14/14 (100%) students stated that the upper GI bleeding and diarrhoea tutorials, respectively, had been enjoyable, improved their knowledge of the causes of the condition and had been useful in meeting the learning objectives; 26/26 (100%) and 13/14 (93%) students found the tutorials useful in improving knowledge on clinical management. Popular aspects of the sessions included the relevance to the curriculum and interactive nature of the teaching. Small class sizes were preferred.

Endoscopy simulators can be a novel and effective teaching tool for undergraduates. Hospitals with this resource should consider broadening its application to include teaching students.