• Eva Kassab, Jimmy Kyaw Tun, and Roger L Kneebone.
• Imperial College London, UK. e.kassab@imperial.ac.uk
• Simul Healthc. 2012 Jun 1; 7 (3): 155-61.

IntroductionDecontextualized benchtop simulators play a key role in surgical training. Educational theory highlights the importance of context for effective learning, yet existing full-immersion simulation facilities are prohibitively expensive. This study explored the concept of contextualized training of a key surgical procedure in a novel, low-cost, high-fidelity simulation environment [distributed simulation (DS)] and compared it with decontextualized training in a traditional benchtop simulation.MethodsEleven novice surgeons performed a small bowel anastomosis in a benchtop simulation and in DS. Likert-type questionnaires and semistructured interviews captured surgeons' responses.ResultsSurgeons perceived the contextualized DS training as realistic, giving surgeons the opportunity to increase their confidence, motivation, and integration of technical and nontechnical skills. Distributed simulation would be of value after benchtop training and before surgery in a real operating room.ConclusionsContextualized simulation training allows junior surgeons to gain the necessary confidence before operating in a real operating room. This article presents DS as a solution to widen access to contextualized surgical training.

18 keywords...

hide…