Correlation of surgical trainee performance on laparoscopic versus endoscopic simulation

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Minimally Invasive Surgery
• Medical Simulation

Background:

• Laparoscopy and endoscopy are image-based surgical procedures requiring extensive training.
• Current understanding of skill transfer between these procedures is limited.
• This study investigates the relationship between endoscopic and laparoscopic skills.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the correlation between skills acquired in simulated laparoscopy and endoscopy.
• To determine if proficiency in one procedure translates to the other.
• To inform the development of integrated surgical simulation training programs.

Main Methods:

• Senior surgical residents participated in the study.
• Participants performed simulated laparoscopic suturing using the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) trainer.
• Endoscopic skills were assessed using the Endobubble 2 task and a novel Basics in Endoscopic Skills Training Box (BEST Box).

Main Results:

• A significant positive correlation was found between simulated laparoscopic suturing and endoscopic skills using the BEST box (r=0.551, p=0.033).
• A trend towards correlation was observed between laparoscopic suturing time and the Endobubble 2 score, but it did not reach statistical significance (r=0.458, p=0.086).

Conclusions:

• Performance in physical simulators for laparoscopy and flexible endoscopy demonstrated a correlation.
• Laparoscopic and endoscopic skills appear to be complementary.
• Findings suggest potential for improved simulation training by integrating both skill sets.