Laparoscopic simulator as a learning tool

Abstract

Objective: To evaluate the structured practice effects of basic laparoscopic skills in an inanimate simulator comparing the performance of medical students with PG1 surgical residents. Method: There were evaluated 10 PG1 General Surgery residents and 10 third year students of the “Luis Razetti”, School of Medicine, UCV, Caracas, without prior surgical experience. Both groups had one evaluation session of basic laparoscopic skill, assisting to one, two or three practice sessions, one hour by week, with a 5 laparoscopic task program. Initial score was obtained at the first practice, and final score at the last. All practices were at the Instituto de Cirugía Experimental of the Universidad Central
de Venezuela. Results: In all the subjects, initial time was registered at the practice beginning, without significant differences between both
groups, showing an overall improvement of the scores in all tasks (p<0,0006). Regarding final practice scores, in all the groups there was improvement with statistical significance (p=0,0313).