Surgical Training Simulation Paper

There is evidence beyond any doubt that simulation is now taking its place as one of the important pillars of surgical training, primarily in the field of laparoscopic surgery and endoscopy through the use of VR models. The amount of work and research to be done cannot be underestimated to reach a consensus on the optimal method to integrate simulation models into the existing curricula while making every possible effort to avoid the potential negative effects of unverified methods of integration, which trainees and patients will be their first victims.
From a personal perspective, I think a possible good way of structuring the simulation within the curriculum is to include all the common surgical procedures in the core training curriculum as an integral package aided by clinical teaching, video simulation and followed closely by theatre sessions to consolidate the skills and prevent them from loss. …show more content…
Consequently, if the integration efforts preceded the establishment of countrywide centers, many institutes will be subject to an extreme level of stress in an effort to achieve the same learning outcome set by the regulatory bodies in the absence of the necessary resources.
VR simulators undoubtedly are indispensable for the future of surgical training, however care should be taken when there is less than optimal dynamic properties and haptic feedback. Should this be the case, the wrong psychomotor skills will be learnt and this might indeed be unsafe if attempted in real patients without supervision.
Finally, although VR and box trainer simulation models are mostly used nowadays as an established tool for training in basic surgical skills, there are promising studies showing the validity of VR simulators in more difficult surgeries such as Bariatrics operations.