Development and Evaluation of a Canine Laparoscopic Simulator for Veterinary Clinical Training

Abstract

Human laparoscopic simulators have been used in medical education for minimally invasive surgery (MIS) in the past years. Simulator-based laparoscopic training has attracted much interest because unique skills have to be learned not only by surgeons in training but also by surgeons in practice. MIS forces the surgeon to adapt to monocular vision and decreased tactile sensation and entails training and improving hand-eye and hand-hand coordination. Those skills require a learning curve that could be overcome gradually with use of simulators. The Canine Laparoscopic Simulator (CLS) for laparoscopic training was developed based on the working and optical space obtained from computed tomography (CT) scan images of three Beagle dogs. Thirty veterinarians (expert group, n=7; novice group, n=23) performed basic laparoscopic exercises in one training session on the CLS. During the performance of the exercises, an experienced laparoscopic veterinarian assessed all the tasks. Afterwards, participants were asked to complete an anonymous survey describing their experience. Most participants expressed positive opinions about the design and usability of the CLS. There were no significant differences between the two groups' opinions. The CLS showed good preliminary acceptance in the basic laparoscopy tasks by veterinarians. They perceived it to be a good training tool, and these results suggest that CLS is an engaging tool for education but still has some limitations inherent in training boxes. Further studies would be needed to establish the validity of training programs performed in the CLS.

Teaching and proficiency assessment for arthroscopy in veterinary surgery: A 2017 survey of diplomates and residents of the American and European College of Veterinary Surgeons

“…24 The results of the survey strongly support the introduction of structured simulator training in veterinary residency programs, as has recently been developed for laparoscopic training. [36][37][38][39][40][41] Our results also suggest that external training courses that used simulator training were highly valued by the majority of participants, although they were not attended because of lack of time and cost. In human surgery, training courses that use mainly simulators are included in the orthopedic surgeon curriculum of some faculties.…”

“…The overall lack of availability and use of simulators reported in this study suggests that there is limited appreciation of the types and merits of simulator training along with concerns regarding financial and time investment . The results of the survey strongly support the introduction of structured simulator training in veterinary residency programs, as has recently been developed for laparoscopic training . Our results also suggest that external training courses that used simulator training were highly valued by the majority of participants, although they were not attended because of lack of time and cost.…”

Comparison of 2 training programs for basic laparoscopic skills and simulated surgery performance in veterinary students

“…Simulation training preferably starts early in the career of the MIS surgeon, ideally before or simultaneously with the first exposure to MIS in the operating room . To date, there is sparse information on skills training in veterinary medicine . The optimal design of a laparoscopic skills training program for veterinary surgeons remains to be elucidated.…”

“…8 To date, there is sparse information on skills training in veterinary medicine. 27,[39][40][41][42][43][44] The optimal design of a laparoscopic skills training program for veterinary surgeons remains to be elucidated. Based on our previous research, 39,45 a more diverse training modality could enhance the training effect and combinations of different training modalities may be advantageous 45 for obtaining MIS skills.…”

Instrument Motion Metrics for Laparoscopic Skills Assessment in Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality

“…Assessments of laparoscopic skills are important for validation of training programs, but also to verify an individual's manual skills competency. Research over the past two decades has reported on laparoscopic training and assessment modalities in human medicine, as is now emerging in veterinary medicine …”