Training of laparoscopic novices both individually and in dyads using a simulation task

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Laparoscopic Skill Acquisition
• Teamwork in Surgery

Background:

• Non-technical skills are crucial for surgical outcomes.
• Quantifying training effects can optimize surgical teaching models.
• Understanding individual versus dyadic learning is important for skill development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the impact of individual versus dyadic training on laparoscopic skill acquisition.
• To quantify performance improvements in novices using a wire-chaser task.
• To compare learning curves and collaborative behaviors between individual and dyadic training.

Main Methods:

• Twelve surgical novices completed 9 training sessions on a wire-chaser laparoscopic task.
• Participants performed the task individually and as dyads.
• Key performance metrics including task duration, contact counts, and movement attempts were recorded.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements were observed in task duration, ring-wire contacts, total contact duration, and pick-up attempts for both individuals and dyads.
• Learning curves did not significantly differ between individual and dyadic training.
• Dyads showed a more pronounced decrease in ring-wire contacts and a higher frequency of anticipatory movements compared to individuals.

Conclusions:

• Novice performance in this specific laparoscopic task was similar whether trained individually or in dyads.
• Dyadic training may enhance specific aspects like reducing errors (ring-wire contacts) and improving foresight (anticipatory movements).
• The findings suggest that collaboration neither hinders nor significantly enhances performance for this particular novice-level laparoscopic task.