Comparing Laparoscopic Skills Training for Gynecologic Residents Across Two Established Curricula.

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Medical Simulation
• Gynecologic Surgery

Background:

• Laparoscopic surgery skills are crucial for obstetrics and gynecology residents.
• Standardized curricula aim to improve surgical proficiency.
• Comparing different training modules is essential for optimizing resident education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) and Essentials in Minimally Invasive Gynecologic Surgery (EMIGS) curricula.
• To assess resident preparedness for laparoscopic vaginal cuff closure.
• To evaluate objective performance metrics and subjective assessments.

Main Methods:

• A randomized, blinded, controlled study involving 9 obstetrics and gynecology residents.
• Residents completed either FLS or EMIGS curriculum over 28 days.
• Performance was assessed on curriculum tasks and laparoscopic vaginal cuff closure using barbed suture, with GOALS scoring.

Main Results:

• No significant difference in overall manual skills scores between FLS and EMIGS groups (P = .62).
• FLS group showed higher scores in intracorporeal knot tying (P = .0085).
• EMIGS group achieved higher scores in laparoscopic vaginal cuff closure across all postgraduate year levels.

Conclusions:

• The EMIGS curriculum demonstrates effectiveness as a gynecologic-specific simulation tool.
• EMIGS may be more beneficial for preparing residents for specific gynecologic procedures like vaginal cuff closure.
• Further research with larger cohorts is recommended to validate these findings.