Construction and implementation of a laparoscopic skill training course based on a smartphone application and virtual...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Digital Health

Background:

• Laparoscopic surgery requires specialized training.
• Existing training methods may not fully meet demands.
• Integrating technology can enhance surgical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To develop a novel laparoscopic training course combining a smartphone application (APP) and virtual reality (VR).
• To evaluate the initial feasibility and effectiveness of this integrated training approach.

Main Methods:

• Development of the Exploring Laparoscopy (Ex-Lap) app.
• Integration of the app with a VR simulator (LapSim®) and animal organ perfusion simulators.
• Enrollment of 91 participants across 5 batches, with performance assessed using rating scales, Training and Assessment of Basic Laparoscopic Techniques (TABLT) scores, and pass rates.

Main Results:

• The Staged Training and Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills (STALS) course was successfully developed.
• First-stage pass rates ranged from 85-100% across batches, with no significant differences (P=0.387).
• No significant differences were observed in scale or TABLT scores among participants from different batches (all P>0.05).

Conclusions:

• The STALS course is a feasible and effective training method for surgical residents.
• The course demonstrates satisfactory teaching effectiveness and replicability.
• This blended learning approach shows promise for improving laparoscopic surgical skills.