World journal of surgery
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World journal of surgery · Feb 2008
ReviewDesign and development of a surgical skills simulation curriculum.
A number of significant changes have forced surgical educators to re-evaluate the adequacy of traditional forms of surgical skills training. ⋯ This manuscript provides a discussion of how this can be achieved using a sequential, modular, criterion-based framework, providing details of the rationale behind such an approach and current examples of how it can be integrated.
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World journal of surgery · Feb 2008
ReviewSupport for simulation-based surgical education through American College of Surgeons--accredited education institutes.
The American College of Surgeons (ACS) recently launched a new program to provide regional support for simulation-based surgical education through the establishment of a consortium of accredited education institutes. The goals of the program are to enhance surgical patient safety, support efforts of surgeons to meet the requirements for Maintenance of Certification, address the core competencies that all surgeons and surgical residents need to achieve and demonstrate, and enhance access to contemporary surgical education. ⋯ Initial plans of the consortium of ACS-accredited Education Institutes include development and dissemination of innovative curricula, peer review of new educational programs and products, sharing of limited educational resources, and pursuit of collaborative research and development. This program should be of great value in supporting the professional activities of surgeons, surgical residents, medical students, and members of the surgical team, and in delivering surgical care of the highest quality.
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World journal of surgery · Feb 2008
Simulation for team training and assessment: case studies of online training with virtual worlds.
Individuals in clinical training programs concerned with critical medical care must learn to manage clinical cases effectively as a member of a team. However, practice on live patients is often unpredictable and frequently repetitive. The widely substituted alternative for real patients-high-fidelity, manikin-based simulators (human patient simulator)-are expensive and require trainees to be in the same place at the same time, whereas online computer-based simulations, or virtual worlds, allow simultaneous participation from different locations. ⋯ The research team created realistic virtual victims of trauma (6 cases), nerve toxin exposure (10 cases), and blast trauma (10 cases); the latter two groups were supported by rules-based, pathophysiologic models of asphyxia and hypovolemia. Evaluation of these virtual world simulation exercises shows that trainees find them to be adequately realistic to "suspend disbelief," and they quickly learn to use Internet voice communication and user interface to navigate their online character/avatar to work effectively in a critical care team. Our findings demonstrate that these virtual ED environments fulfill their promise of providing repeated practice opportunities in dispersed locations with uncommon, life-threatening trauma cases in a safe, reproducible, flexible setting.
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World journal of surgery · Feb 2008
Controlled Clinical TrialArtificial neural networks: useful aid in diagnosing acute appendicitis.
[corrected] The purpose of the study was to assess the role of artificial neural networks (ANNs) in the diagnosis of appendicitis in patients presenting with acute right iliac fossa (RIF) pain and comparing its performance with the assessment made by experienced clinicians and the Alvarado score. ⋯ ANNs can be an effective tool for accurately diagnosing appendicitis and may reduce unnecessary appendectomies.
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World journal of surgery · Feb 2008
Historical ArticleHistorical review of surgical simulation--a personal perspective.
Although simulation is relatively new to surgical education, there is a long history in many other disciplines, such as military, aviation, and nuclear power plant operations, among others. In the late 1980s these technologies began to be adapted to the surgical world, along with the new technology of virtual reality. ⋯ Two concomitant revolutions occurred: objective assessment of surgical skills and converting training from the apprenticeship model to one of criterion-based training. A personal perspective on these developments adds information not previously published.