The Use of Deliberate Practice in Simulation-Based Surgical Training for Open General and Subspeciality Surgery: A...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Skill Acquisition

Background:

• Simulation-based surgical training (SBST) offers a safe environment for developing surgical skills.
• Deliberate practice (DP) principles may enhance the effectiveness of SBST.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the application of DP elements in SBST for open general and subspecialty surgery.
• To evaluate the effectiveness of DP-informed SBST on surgical skill improvement.

Main Methods:

• Systematic review of 22 studies focusing on open surgical procedures.
• Analysis of DP element integration (feedback, repetition, motivation, task design) and Kirkpatrick levels of evaluation.

Main Results:

• Most studies incorporated feedback and repetition, but lacked structured motivation and task design.
• DP-informed SBST generally improved surgical skills, with Kirkpatrick levels 1 and 2 evaluations being most common.
• The correlation between DP elements used and learning outcomes was inconsistent.

Conclusions:

• DP-informed SBST enhances skill acquisition in open surgery.
• Variations in DP implementation hinder direct comparison across studies.
• Improved instructional design aligned with DP principles is crucial for consistent training quality.