Trauma surgery simulation education in Japan: the Advanced Trauma Operative Management course

Simulation has become an important teaching tool, in part because of changes mandated by restrictions in resident work hours. Simulation models include life-like mannequins, ex vivo tissue, cadavers, and live animal models. The Advanced Trauma Operative Management (ATOM) course teaches a standard approach for the treatment of traumatic injuries. The 1-day course includes six lectures in the morning and a live animal surgery laboratory in the afternoon. The animal laboratory includes five standard injury scenarios. Advanced Trauma Operative Management was brought to Japan in 2008 and has carried out 60 courses, training more than 250 surgeons and 70 instructors at six training sites throughout Japan. There have been a number of innovations initiated by ATOM Japan including Nurse Participation Certificates and a course for Trauma Nurses that runs concurrently with the ATOM course. There are other trauma courses given throughout the world, which are scenario-based and include concurrent nurse training. It is difficult to quantitatively assess the benefits of trauma training to patients. There are a number of documented cases in Japan of surgeons who have had good operative outcomes in the care of traumatically injured patients who attribute the successful management of these patients to participation in the ATOM course. Training in trauma surgery using simulation models and the ATOM course have had a positive impact on surgical training and patient care in Japan. These courses will continue to be modified and refined, resulting in better education and clinical outcomes. Education research is essential to determine the optimum use of the available models.