Novices' learning curve in single-port surgery using three surgical training programs.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Minimally Invasive Surgery

Background:

• Novice surgeons' learning curves in laparoendoscopic single-site (LESS) surgery require evaluation.
• Understanding proficiency acquisition in LESS is crucial for surgical training programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess novice learning curves and proficiency in LESS surgery.
• To compare three distinct surgical training programs for LESS proficiency.

Main Methods:

• 12-day training on a laparoscopic box simulator with three tasks.
• Three groups trained differently: conventional laparoscopic surgery (CLS) and LESS with straight/articulating instruments, or LESS exclusively with articulating instruments.
• Daily performance monitoring to track progress.

Main Results:

• Significant improvements in LESS skills across all groups post-training.
• No significant performance differences between groups despite varied training regimens.
• Group C, training exclusively in LESS with articulating instruments, achieved high technical competence but showed a slower learning rate.

Conclusions:

• Specific LESS training with articulating instruments leads to slower initial learning but ultimately better proficiency and surgical performance.
• Tailored training programs are effective in developing advanced surgical skills in LESS procedures.