Frequency of Use and Perceived Effectiveness of Three Simulation Models in Surgical Resident Education

This study evaluated the frequency and perceived effectiveness of use of three surgical simulators across all disciplines and years of surgical training at one institution. A cross-sectional survey examined specific practices and compared the educational experiences of 150 surgical residents in different training levels and disciplines of surgery at the University of Alberta. Resident’s exposure to box trainers, virtual reality trainers and simulated patients were analyzed with both open and close ended questions. Eighty-eight of 150 (59%) residents participated and reported use of these surgical simulators varied by year and discipline of training. Fifty percent of respondents used box trainers in their surgical education, with box trainers used most within urology. Generally, there was limited use reported with virtual reality trainers and simulated patients (10% of respondents respectively). Use of both virtual reality trainers and simulated patients was reportedly greatest within ophthalmology. Despite this limited use, residents found a marked and significant correlation (rS=0.78; p=0.02) between frequency of use and perceived effectiveness of virtual reality models as a method of teaching surgical skills. A marked degree of correlation (rS=0.65, p=0.06) between frequency of exposure and effectiveness was also found with simulated patient models with a trend towards significance. Modern surgical training is a complex process of cognitive and psychomotor skills training. Use of surgical simulators is expanding, and as more experience and understanding is gained in surgical education, enhanced teaching methods will ultimately produce better skilled surgeons.