The Feasibility of Practical Training in Minimally Invasive Surgery at Medical School-A Prospective Study on the Pelvitrainer

Johannes Ackermann, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Julian Pape, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Felix Vogler, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Julia Pahls, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Jorun Baumann, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Bernd Holthaus, Clinic of Obstetrics and Gynecology, St. Elisabeth Hospital, 49401 Damme, Germany.
Günter Karl Noé, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Witten/Herdecke, Rheinland Klinikum Dormagen, Dr.-Geldmacher-Straße 20, 41540 Dormagen, Germany.
Michael Anapolski, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Witten/Herdecke, Rheinland Klinikum Dormagen, Dr.-Geldmacher-Straße 20, 41540 Dormagen, Germany.
Zino Ruchay, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Anna Westermann, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Veronika Günther, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Kristin Andresen, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Leila Allahqoli, Midwifery Department, Ministry of Health and Medical Education, Tehran 1467664961, Iran.
Gaby Moawad, Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, The George Washington University Hospital, Washington, DC 20037, USA.
Jörg Neymeyer, Clinic of Urology, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Hindenburgdamm 30, 12200 Berlin, Germany.
Sandra Brügge, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Nicolai Maass, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Liselotte Mettler, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.
Ibrahim Alkatout, Kiel School of Gynaecological Endoscopy, Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University Hospitals Schleswig-Holstein, Campus Kiel, Arnold-Heller-Str. 3 (House C), 24105 Kiel, Germany.

Document Type

Journal Article

Publication Date

1-15-2024

Journal

Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania)

Volume

60

Issue

1

DOI

10.3390/medicina60010159

Keywords

laparoscopic surgery; medical student education; pelvitrainer; practical surgical training

Abstract

: The acquisition of practical skills at medical school is an important part of the multidimensional education program of future physicians. However, medical schools throughout the world have been slow in incorporating practical skills in their curriculum. Therefore, the aims of the present prospective study were (a) to demonstrate the feasibility of such surgical training, (b) to objectify its benefit in medical education, and (c) to investigate the impact of such training on subsequent career choices. We introduced a two-day laparoscopy course on the pelvitrainer as part of the curriculum of the gynecological internship of fifth year medical students from 2019 to 2020. The results of the students' training were matched to those of surgeons who completed the same curriculum in a professional postgraduate laparoscopy course from 2017 to 2020 in a comparative study design. Additionally, we performed a questionnaire-based evaluation of the impact of the course on medical education and subsequent career choices directly before and after completing the course. A total of 261 medical students and 206 physicians completed the training program. At baseline, the students performed significantly more poorly than physicians in a median of three of four exercises ( < 0.001). However, this evened out in the final runs, during which students performed more poorly than physicians only in one exercise and even better than physicians in one. The general integration of surgical training in medical school curricula was rated very low (12.4% on the VAS, IQR 3-16%) despite the high demand for such training. In the survey, the course was deemed very beneficial for medical education (median VAS 80.7%, IQR 73-98%), but did not appear to influence the students' subsequent career preferences. The acquisition of practical surgical skills during medical school is significantly under-represented in many medical faculties. The benefits of such training, as demonstrated in our study, would improve the education of future physicians.

Department

Obstetrics and Gynecology

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