Can narration and guidance in video-enhanced learning improve performance on E-BLUS exercises?

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Surgical Education
• Minimally Invasive Surgery

Background:

• Laparoscopic skills training is crucial for surgical proficiency.
• Evaluating novel training methods is essential for improving surgical education.
• The European Basic Laparoscopic Urologic Skills (E-BLUS) and video-mentored tutorials (VMT) are training tools.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of VMT versus the standard E-BLUS video for laparoscopic skills acquisition.
• To assess the impact of VMT on peg-transfer (PT) and needle-guidance (NG) exercise performance.
• To evaluate the combined effect of VMT and deliberate practice on task time and error reduction.

Main Methods:

• An unblinded, parallel-group randomized trial involving 42 participants.
• Two groups: Group 1 received VMT for both trials; Group 2 received E-BLUS video then VMT.
• Performance measured by task time and total errors in PT and NG exercises over two periods.

Main Results:

• VMT significantly reduced errors compared to the E-BLUS video in the initial period (p=0.001 for PT, p=0.014 for NG).
• Subsequent VMT exposure in the second period further decreased errors for both exercises (p=0.001 for PT, p=0.002 for NG).
• Task time decreased significantly for both groups after VMT in both PT and NG exercises (p<0.01).

Conclusions:

• Video-mentored tutorials are effective in reducing errors for novice laparoscopic surgeons.
• Integrating VMT with deliberate practice shows potential for decreasing task completion time.
• VMT represents a valuable tool for enhancing laparoscopic skills training and surgical education.