Auditorium of the future: e learning platform

Abstract

Principles of surgical education are more than a century old and have not changed since. But methods for surgical teaching have evolved with time, especially with the advent of the World Wide Web. There are two main novel technologic tools that can be integrated into surgical training: Online knowledge sources, such as lectures, webinars, journal clubs, surgical videos, three dimensional planning/printing and anatomic models. These technologies are available everywhere on computers, tablets, cell phones, and allow global access to anyone in the medical field.  Second important tool is remote skills education. This has been available for a while in laparoscopic surgery. Other than local proctors, remote proctors are also involved and can evaluate or contribute to the training of a surgical colleague from a distant location.Those new tools are defined as E-learning or online education. Their ultimate goal is to assess the trainees who are using them. Indeed, no educational tool would be validated or widely used without measuring its efficacy and contribution to behavioral change in clinical practice. Thoracic surgery is no stranger to those latest breakthroughs in medical education. In this article, we will review these e-learning tools and analyze their introduction in Thoracic Surgery education. Online knowledge sourcesWilliam Halsted's legacy in surgery has been marked by his tenets regarding tissue handling, but also three principles in surgical training (1): The resident must have intense and repetitive opportunities to take care of surgical patients under the supervision of a skilled surgical teacher;

Online Survey Evaluation of Three Years of European Society of Thoracic Surgeons Educational Webinars as Part of The E‐learning Platform

“…Therefore, future e-learning initiatives should focus on the difficult balance between timing, interaction, accurate information and adequate assessment in order to have impact [ 9 ]. Just as most surgeons did not believe that e-learning would be able to replace the classical analogue education, some of todays’ surgeons are skeptical regarding the use of social media in surgical education [ 22 , 23 ].…”

“…Since the launch of the ESTS educational platform 15 years ago, thoracic surgical education has changed dramatically [9]. E-learning, apart from simulation, has become an important part of the training during the last years, especially enhanced by the current COVID-19 pandemic [10][11][12].…”