Assessment of Skill Transfer From a 3D-Printed Knee Arthroscopy Simulator: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Simulation
• Orthopedic Surgery

Background:

• Arthroscopic surgery requires specialized skills typically gained through supervised practice.
• Simulators offer a controlled environment for acquiring these skills.
• Traditional training methods may not be sufficient for developing proficiency in arthroscopy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To introduce and evaluate a low-cost, 3D-printed knee arthroscopy simulator.
• To assess the simulator's effectiveness in skill transfer for real arthroscopic procedures.
• To gauge medical students' acceptance of the simulator in their education.

Main Methods:

• Forty final-year medical students without prior arthroscopy experience were randomized into simulation and control groups.
• Participants underwent supervised diagnostic arthroscopy.
• Performance metrics (time, lookdowns, instrument loss, triangulation, interventions) and ASSET scores were analyzed.

Main Results:

• The simulation group demonstrated significantly faster completion times (39%), fewer lookdowns (60%), fewer interventions (59%), shorter triangulation times (35%), and fewer instrument losses (50%).
• Arthroscopic Surgery Skill Evaluation Tool (ASSET) scores were higher in all domains except safety.
• Participants reported high acceptance and supported integrating the simulator into medical curricula.

Conclusions:

• The 3D-printed knee arthroscopy simulator is a cost-effective and reproducible tool for skill acquisition.
• Simulator training significantly enhances performance in actual arthroscopic procedures for novices.
• The simulator shows strong potential for integration into medical education for surgical training.