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Mental training in surgical education: a systematic review
Sara Davison1, Nicholas Raison1, Muhammad S Khan1
1MRC Centre for Transplantation, Division of Transplantation Immunology and Mucosal Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences and Medicine, King's College London, Guy's Hospital, London, UK.
ANZ Journal of Surgery
|August 30, 2017
Summary
Mental training (MT) can enhance surgical education, particularly for experienced surgeons. However, current studies are low quality, necessitating further research to define MT's optimal role in surgical curricula.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Surgical Training
- Cognitive Science
Background:
- Surgical education faces challenges from limited working hours and complex procedures.
- Mental training (MT), or imagining motor tasks, offers a potential solution for off-site practice.
- MT is not yet a standard part of surgical training curricula.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review existing literature on the effectiveness of mental training in surgical education.
- To determine the role and impact of MT on surgical proficiency.
Main Methods:
- Searched EMBASE and Medline databases for relevant studies.
- Primary outcome: surgical proficiency. Secondary: training duration, MT type, trainee experience.
- Assessed study quality using established criteria (CONSORT, Quality Assessment Tool).
Main Results:
- 14 trials (618 participants) met inclusion criteria; 11 were randomized.
- Ten studies indicated MT was beneficial, with mental rehearsal being common.
- MT showed greater benefits for expert surgeons than for novices or medical students.
Conclusions:
- Most studies suggest MT is beneficial, especially for experienced surgeons in structured programs.
- Overall study quality was low, with methodological limitations and small sample sizes.
- Further high-quality research is needed to establish MT's optimal role in surgical education.
