Development of a systematic telesimulation curriculum for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair

Telesimulation, whereby learners telecommunicate and use simulator resources to receive education at an off-site location, has been used to educate surgical trainees about how to perform basic surgical procedures. However, it has not yet been used for advanced surgical procedures. We aimed to develop a telesimulation curriculum to teach a common laparoscopic procedure called transabdominal preperitoneal (TAPP) repair and to explore the feasibility of its use.

Learning objectives were created to develop a telesimulation curriculum that included didactic telelecture and telesimulation training. Pre-tests and post-tests to assess the didactic materials were developed and assessed among surgeons with various experiences. We assessed the feasibility of the telelecture and telesimulation separately. Pre-tests, post-tests, and questionnaires were used to assess the telelectures. We created a TAPP repair telesimulation system and checked for problems during training. Trainees were assessed to determine their skill improvement using previously published assessment tools and questionnaires.

A didactic telelecture was developed based on the learning objectives using an expert consensus and pilot-tested among five participants. After the lecture, their test scores improved and they expressed positive opinions about the usefulness of telelectures. The TAPP repair telesimulation training was pilot-tested among three trainees. No technical problems occurred during training. All trainees improved their skills after the telesimulation training and agreed that the training was useful for learning the TAPP repair procedure.

We systematically developed a telesimulation curriculum for the TAPP repair procedure and demonstrated its feasibility among learners.