Surgical Cross-Training With Surgery Naive Learners: Implications for Resident Training

Objective While current literature has explored the transferability of laparoscopic surgical skills to robotic surgery, this study looks to investigate the transferability of surgical skills between robotic surgical simulation and simulated traditional laparoscopy. Design Participants completed a survey regarding prior surgery exposure and other confounding factors including previous video game experience and self-assessed hand-eye coordination. Following orientation to the laparoscopic simulator (LS) and robotic surgical simulator (RoSS), participants were timed performing the Balloon Grasp and Ball Drop tasks on the RoSS and the Peg Transfer and Ball Drop tasks on the LS. Participants were then randomized to either the laparoscopic or RoSS arm and timed performing the Ball Drop task 10 times and then reassessed performing the Ball Drop using the unpracticed modality. Setting Clinical Simulation Laboratory at the University of Vermont Participants A total of 31 medical students with limited experience in laparoscopic and robotic surgery. Results There were no statistically significant differences in the demographics or prior surgical and videogame experience between the participants in the laparoscopic and robotic arms of the study (X 2  = 0.72, p = 0.75). Timed initial assessment of the RoSS Balloon Grasp (p = 0.84) and Ball Drop (p = 0.79) tasks and the LS Peg Transfer (p = 0.14) and Ball Drop (p = 0.44) tasks were not statistically different between the 2 arms. The simulator modality which was practiced yielded the greatest improvement. The degree of improvement on the unpracticed modality was not statistically different between the groups (p = 0.57), and it was not significantly better than 2 rounds of sequential practice on the practiced modality (LS, p = 0.98 and RoSS, p = 0.55). Conclusions With practice, both groups increased surgical skill on the unpracticed modality. However, this degree of improvement was equal, suggesting there is no transferability of skills between laparoscopy and robotics.