Simulation training methods in neurological surgery

Abstract

Simulation training plays a paramount role in medicine, especially when it comes to mastering surgical skills. By simulating, students gain not only confidence, but expertise, learning to apply theory in a safe environment. As the technological arsenal improved, virtual reality and physical simulators have developed and are now an important part of the Neurosurgery training curriculum. Based on deliberate practice in a controlled space, simulation allows psychomotor skills augment without putting neither patients nor students at risk. When compared to the master-apprentice ongoing model of teaching, simutation becomes even more appealing as it is time-efficient, shortening the learning curve and ultimately leading to error reduction, which is reflected by diminished health care costs in the long run. In this chapter we will discuss the current state of neurosurgery simulation, highlight the potential benefits of this approach, assessing specific training methods and making considerations towards the future of neurosurgical simulation.

Advances in HealthCare teaching

“…The peak between 2009 and 2018, was show in detail onFigure 2, has 77 patent documents with represents 77% of the patent documents on education in medicine. At the peak there is emphasis on the procedure simulator model with 35 patent documents (90% of the procedure simulator model patent documents),indicating that this is a recent tecnology corroborating with that presented by Motta and Baracat, Figueiredo and Oliveira, and Sousa et al[1,5,7]. The dignostic simulator model has 20 patent documents (78% of the procedure simulator model patent documents), indicating that this is also a recent tecnology corroborating with that presented by Motta and Baracat, Figueiredo and Oliveira, and Sousa et al[1,5,7].…”

“…peak of their development are the technologies of simulation models (procedure and diagnostic). Indicating the current interest in the development of products or processes in the area of education in medicine involving the technologies of simulation models of process and diagnosis, corroborating with that presented by Motta and Baracat, Figueiredo and Oliveira, and Sousa et al[1,5,7]. The absence of documents in the years 2019 and 2020 is due to the period of confidentiality that the patent document has between its deposit and its publication (the request is only available for consultation after its publication).…”

“…This is of paramount importance, as it brings benefits to society by reducing the mortality rate in more complex medical procedures. Furthermore, it can decrease operational errors even in simpler procedures [4,5,6].…”

Simulation training for neurosurgical residents: Need versus reality in Indian Scenario

“…We try to follow guidelines for achieving efficient workflow in skill laboratories published elsewhere, [ 3 7 29 ] and training sessions are being organized in coordination with different other surgical subspecialities, for example, head-and-neck surgery, traumatology, surgical oncology, and urology for maximum utilization of resources (cadavers). We agree that advancements in virtual simulators are challenging the “Gold standard status” of cadaver training, [ 20 30 31 32 ] and there is a general sentiment that these are ultimately destined to replace the art of cadaveric dissection. Still, a high-quality virtual simulator, which has realistic deformation of tissues and a good haptic feedback, requires a heavy investment in terms of initial cost, and as of now, they are yet not freely available outside few institutes in the west.…”

Utility of medical simulation in neurovascular critical care education

“…Before being exposed to real situations, the inclusion of these simulated spaces in neurocritical care offers the opportunity to learn how to communicate effectively with a team during an emergency, make quick decisions, correctly identify patients with critical neurological conditions, and implement appropriate treatment algorithms that help develop the reliability of the staff and their expertise in patient management [8,10,41]. Similarly, by incorporating simulations, the learner can experience failure and recognize the limits of their capacities, which results in the reduc-tion of errors and better care to the patient and their loved ones [6,42].…”