Surgical telementoring: A new model for surgical training.
Carl H Snyderman1,2, Paul A Gardner2, Bostjan Lanisnik3
1Department of Otolaryngology, University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.
The Laryngoscope
|March 25, 2016
Summary
Surgical telementoring effectively enhances surgeon skills for complex endoscopic skull base procedures. This remote guidance improves surgical outcomes and proficiency when local expertise is limited.
Area of Science:
- Neurosurgery
- Otolaryngology
- Medical Education
Background:
- Endoscopic skull base surgery requires specialized skills.
- Access to experienced mentors can be geographically limited.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the efficacy of a surgical telementoring program for endoscopic skull base surgery.
- To assess the perceived value and impact of remote mentorship on surgical teams.
Main Methods:
- Prospective case series involving 10 endoscopic endonasal surgeries.
- Real-time two-way audio-video streaming for remote surgical guidance.
- Surgeon surveys to evaluate mentoring interventions and perceived value.
Main Results:
- Adequate audio-visual communication achieved in 90% of cases.
- Mentoring focused on anatomy, exposure, resection extent, and technique.
- Junior surgical teams reported a median perceived value of 9.5/10.
Conclusions:
- Surgical telementoring is a reliable method to improve surgeon proficiency in complex procedures.
- Remote mentorship enhances surgical exposure, tumor resection, and potentially reduces surgery duration.
- The technology is accessible and beneficial for developing surgical skills without local expert availability.
