Validation of a pediatric single-port laparoscopic surgery simulator

Area of Science:

• Surgical Simulation
• Pediatric Laparoscopy
• Medical Education Technology

Background:

• Existing multiport pediatric laparoscopic surgery simulators were adapted.
• The goal was to create a tool for pediatric single-port laparoscopy skills training and assessment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To adapt an existing pediatric laparoscopic surgery simulator for single-port procedures.
• To evaluate the construct validity of the adapted simulator for surgical skills training and assessment.

Main Methods:

• A pediatric box trainer was modified for single-port access.
• Forty-one participants (novices, intermediates, experts) performed four curriculum tasks.
• Objective performance scores were analyzed to assess skill differentiation.

Main Results:

• Significant performance differences were observed between novices and experts for peg transfer, pattern cut, and ligating loop tasks.
• Novices showed significant differences compared to intermediates across all tasks, including intracorporeal suturing.
• No significant performance differences were found between intermediate and expert surgeons.

Conclusions:

• The adapted Pediatric Laparoscopic Surgery (PLS) simulator demonstrates construct validity for specific single-port tasks.
• The simulator is a viable resource for training and assessing pediatric single-port laparoscopic surgery skills.
• Further development of tasks is recommended to address unique single-port surgical challenges.