Evaluation of Procedural Simulation as a Training and Assessment Tool in General Surgery—Simulating a Laparoscopic Appendectomy

Background Laparoscopic appendectomy is a commonly performed surgical procedure, but few training models have been described for it. We examined a virtual reality module for practising a laparoscopic appendectomy. Methods A prospective cohort study with the following 3 groups of surgeons ( n = 45): novices (0 procedures), intermediates (10-50 procedures), and experienced (>100 procedures). After being introduced to the simulator and 1 familiarization attempt on the procedural module, the participants practiced the module 20 times. Movements, task time, and procedure-specific parameters were compared over time. Results The time and movement parameters were significantly different during the first attempt, and more experienced surgeons used fewer movements and less time than novices (p 0.05). When comparing novices with experienced surgeons, novices had a higher risk of burn damage to cecum (odds ratio [OR] = 3.0 [95% CI: 1.3; 7.0] p = 0.03), pressure damage to appendix (OR = 3.1 [95% CI: 2.0; 4.9] p Discussion The simulator module for practising laparoscopic appendectomy may be useful as a training tool, but further development is required before it can be used for assessment purposes. Procedural simulation may demonstrate more variation for movement parameters, and future research should focus on developing better procedure-specific parameters.