Comprehensive Laparoscopic Curriculum for Medical Students

Not Applicable

Completed

• Conditions: Laparoscopic Surgery; Education
• Interventions: Other: Curriculum

• Registration Number: NCT01857180
• Lead Sponsor: Unity Health Toronto

Brief Summary

Laparoscopic surgery has become the standard approach to a vast variety of surgical procedures. Due factors such as 2D- to 3D conversion, reduced tactile sensation, amplification of tremor and fulcrum effect of the abdominal wall, surgeons require a different set of skills than in open access surgery. Acknowledging this, several comprehensive curricula have been developed to teach basic skills as well as advanced laparoscopic procedures. Despite a recent emphasis on early exposure of medical students to surgery no designated curricula have been developed to introduce medical students to the technique of laparoscopic surgery.

Participation in an introductory curriculum in laparoscopic surgery results in improved cognitive and technical performance compared to self-directed learning. The greater homogeneity and fewer dropouts amongst those in the curriculum group suggest that a structured curriculum is essential in ensuring standardization of clinically relevant training. An introductory curriculum for medical students should be delivered in a structured and standardized fashion prior to clinical exposure in order to maintain motivation and enhance learning.

Detailed Description

Not available

Study Timeline

• Study Start: 2012-06
• Primary Completion: 2012-08
• Study Completion: 2012-08
• Study First Submitted: 2013-05-15
• Study First Submitted QC: 2013-05-15
• Study First Posted: 2013-05-20
• Status Verified: 2015-11
• Last Update Submitted: 2015-11-16
• Last Update Posted: 2015-11-17

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 24

Inclusion Criteria

• first and second year medical students

Exclusion Criteria

• previous exposure to laparoscopy or laparoscopic simulation

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Arm && Interventions

Group	Intervention	Description
Curriculum	Curriculum	Participants in the curriculum group took part in a structured, comprehensive curriculum consisting of a 1 hour didactic cognitive component, a 1 hour didactic non-technical (team-based skills) component, and 6 hours of structured technical skills practice in peg transfer, intracorporeal suture, and VR simulator tasks. Participants had the opportunity to ask questions and engage in discussion with experts after the didactic sessions, and received subjective feedback from circulating residents in addition to objective feedback in the technical skills tasks.

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Team-based (non-technical) skills	1 week	Participants' attitudes towards team based skills, namely team structure, leadership, situational awareness, and communication were assessed by the Team-STEPPS Teamwork Attitudes Questionnaire (T-TAQ).
Cognitive Knowledge	1 week	Participants' basic laparoscopic knowledge was assessed regarding topics such as advantages and disadvantages, patient selection considerations, equipment, anesthesia, patient positioning, pneumoperitoneum, and post-op care. Assessment was by a multiple choice test.
Technical Skills	5 weeks	Participants' technical skills were assessed as they performed peg transfer, intracorporeal suture, and virtual reality simulator tasks (grasping, cutting, and clipping). Peg transfer and intracorporeal suture were assessed by time and errors, while VR tasks were assessed by the simulator's pre-set metrics.

Trial Locations

Locations (1)

Univeristy of Toronto; 🇨🇦 Toronto, Ontario, Canada