Journal of surgical education
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Comparative Study
Bringing the skills laboratory home: an affordable webcam-based personal trainer for developing laparoscopic skills.
The purpose of this work was to develop a more flexible system of laparoscopic surgery training with demonstrated effectiveness and construct validity. ⋯ A low-cost personal laparoscopic training device can be built by individual residents. With their use, residents can significantly improve performance in important surgical skills. Evaluation of the system supports its validity.
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Comparative Study
Surgical training: the impact of changes in curriculum and experience.
Craft specialties, such as surgery, rely on practice to acquire skill. Yet recent changes in training in the United Kingdom have decreased experience and altered the balance of curriculum content. Most recently, the European Working Time Directive has led to a reduction in working hours and expansion in the number of trainees. The impact that these changes have had on operative experience, patient management, communication, and teaching skills is unclear. This study aims to assess the effects of the changing curriculum and work patterns on the experience of trainees at senior house officer (SHO, equivalent to junior resident) level in general surgery. ⋯ Trainees are spending less time in surgery at the SHO level, and this is reflected in reported operative ability. The introduction of communication and teaching skills into the curriculum has had a perceived benefit. The reduction in working hours must be offset by implementing measures to maximize limited training opportunities. The potential implications of these changes in training and experience on patient outcomes remain to be determined.