Elsevier

Surgery

Volume 158, Issue 5, November 2015, Pages 1395-1402
Surgery

Simulation-based Surgical Education
Best practices across surgical specialties relating to simulation-based training

Presented at the Seventh Annual Meeting of the Consortium of ACS-accredited Education Institutes, March 21–22, 2014, Chicago, Illinois.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.surg.2015.03.041Get rights and content

Introduction

Simulation-based training is playing an increasingly important role in surgery. However, there is insufficient discussion among the surgical specialties regarding how simulation may best be leveraged for training. There is much to be learned from one another as we all strive to meet new requirements within the context of Undergraduate Medical Education, Graduate Medical Education, and Continuing Medical Education.

Method

To address this need, a panel was convened at the 6th Annual Meeting of the Consortium of the American College of Surgeons-Accredited Education Institutes consisting of key leaders in the field of simulation from 4 surgical subspecialties, namely, general surgery, orthopedic surgery, cardiothoracic surgery, urology, and otolaryngology.

Conclusion

An overview of how the 5 surgical specialties are using simulation-based training to meet a wide array of educational needs for all levels of learners is presented.

Section snippets

Simulation in general surgery

Dating back to the 1990s, several factors, including patient safety concerns, the need to introduce new procedures and technologies in practice, and the focus on the high costs of training in real environments, fueled the use of simulation-based training.1, 2, 3, 4 By 2000, pioneering studies began to emerge affirming that structured skills lab training resulted in significant improvement in surgeon performance during actual operations.5, 6 Over the ensuing years, additional regulations and

Simulation in orthopedic surgery

There are a number of factors propelling change that involve a greater role of simulation training in orthopedic surgery. These factors include increasing procedural and technical complexity, continuous introduction of new surgical methods and techniques, safety concerns of patients and the public, increased costs and logistical challenges associated with cadaver training, and greater international demands for state-of-the-art surgical education. Unfortunately, orthopedics has been challenged

Simulation in urology

As in many other surgical specialties, the interest and application of simulation in postgraduate education in urology continues to expand. The rapid advances in technology, increased scrutiny on how best to adopt new technologies in clinical practice, limited work hours, patient safety concerns, increasing health care costs, and new device training regulations are all driving forces in regard to this movement.

Despite these factors, urology has not integrated simulation fully into educational

Simulation in cardiothoracic surgery

Cardiothoracic surgery is a high-stakes specialty where even minor adverse events can result in devastating consequences for the patient. Over the last 8 years, the specialty has embraced simulation-based education and training as a means to further enhance the knowledge and skills of its residents and practicing surgeons. A variety of low-cost but highly effective simulators and related curricula have been developed and have transformed education and training within cardiothoracic surgery.

A

Simulation in otolaryngology

Training in otolaryngology involves integration of complex anatomy and associated pathology of the temporal bone with refined microsurgical technical skill. Unfortunately, otolaryngology faces the same barriers to training as many other surgery specialties, including less time available for teaching and learning, limitations of instructional resources, and the lack of uniform objective assessment of technical skills.36 However, simulation in otolaryngology has a rich history and continues to

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