Systematic review and meta-analysis of the role of mental training in the acquisition of technical skills in surgery

Rao, Ahsan; Tait, I. S.; Alijani, Afshin

doi:10.1016/j.amjsurg.2015.01.028

Cited by 69 publications

(60 citation statements)

References 29 publications

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“…However, the curriculum implemented in our study is much more robust than those that only implemented mental imagery, as it addresses several additional important mental skills such as goal setting, energy and attention management strategies, refocusing techniques, and performance routines. Our findings in this study along with evidence from prior studies 16,21 provide support that mental skills training should be implemented in surgical training curricula, as a supplement to surgical simulation training.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

“…16 These mental imagery interventions have been largely successful at enhancing novices' acquisition of surgical skills. However, the curriculum implemented in our study is much more robust than those that only implemented mental imagery, as it addresses several additional important mental skills such as goal setting, energy and attention management strategies, refocusing techniques, and performance routines.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…A recent meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials that implemented mental imagery as a surgical training intervention found that it was effective at enhancing surgical skill acquisition. 16 However, there are several additional mental skills that may be effective at reducing surgical novices' stress and enhancing their performance.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Effectiveness of a comprehensive mental skills curriculum in enhancing surgical performance: Results of a randomized controlled trial

Bacon

Anton

Howley

et al. 2017

The American Journal of Surgery

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 54%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Effectiveness of a comprehensive mental skills curriculum in enhancing surgical performance: Results of a randomized controlled trial

Bacon

Anton

Howley

et al. 2017

The American Journal of Surgery

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“…A recent meta-analysis studied the effects of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) that applied imagery in the acquisition of surgical skills. 9 The majority of examined studies (i.e., five of nine) found that imagery had a positive impact on the acquisition of surgical skills.…”

Section: Mental Imagerymentioning

confidence: 99%

Application of Mental Skills Training in Surgery: A Review of Its Effectiveness and Proposed Next Steps

Anton

Bean²,

Hammonds

et al. 2017

Journal of Laparoendoscopic & Advanced Surgical Techniques

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“…In a systematic review of the surgical literature on mental imagery, Rao and colleagues 14 identified nine RCTs that met their inclusion criteria. While the combined study results showed no overall significant effect on performance, they suggested this could be due to the quality of the mental imagery intervention.…”

Section: Mental Imagery: the Mind's Eyementioning

confidence: 99%

Improving procedural performance through warm-up and mental imagery

Weller

2016

British Journal of Anaesthesia

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Anaesthetists are expected to develop and maintain expertise in procedural skills with low or zero tolerance for error. The more complex technical skills, as required for advanced airway management or ultrasound-guided procedures, require expertise in navigation, hand-eye coordination, and visualizing distant structures. Furthermore, learning and maintaining skills on patients is no longer acceptable when alternatives exist. Reduced working hours further limit opportunities for the traditional experiential learning of advanced procedural skills.Our surgical colleagues, faced with similar issues, have responded over the last few decades with extensive research and innovation aimed at optimising procedural performance and reducing error. Simulation and skills laboratories are now required by the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education American (ACGME) and the research questions have moved from does simulation work to defining the elements of skills training and pre-procedure preparation that work best in different contexts. 1 However, even our surgical colleagues have struggled to integrate simulation-based skills programs into the regular training environment. The pre-procedural warm-up, by bringing simulators into the theatre suite, may help to embed simulation practice into the standard preparation for surgery. A further approach, also the subject of recent intense research activity, is mental imagery, a structured process of mental rehearsal prior to the procedure. Warm-up and mental imagery are well established in sports and the arts prior to a performance, and increasing evidence supports their value in surgery in improving performance and reducing procedural error.In this issue, Samuelson and colleagues 2 describe a warm-up for fibre-optic intubation (FOI) for anaesthesia trainees. They randomised subjects to a control group with no warm-up and an intervention group who undertook a 5-minute warm-up using a series of cases of varying difficulty on a virtual reality bronchoscopy simulator. Subsequent performance of asleep FOI in healthy patients with no anticipated airway difficulties showed significantly better performance in the warm-up group. I could find no other studies reporting pre-procedural warm-up in anaesthesia and only one on mental imagery. 3 Of relevance, Wright and colleagues 4 reported that the rates of errors, such as administering the wrong medication or blood, inadequate depth of anaesthesia, and oesophageal intubation, decrease after the first operations of the day, suggesting that anaesthetists' performance may improve after a period of warm-up.I undertook a Medline search of the literature on warm-up and mental imagery for procedural skills and provide here a narrative review with reference to potential application in anaesthesia. Pre-procedural warm-upWarming up prior to a race or a musical performance is established practice and supported by a wealth of evidence. The similarities between athletic or artistic performance and the performance of a surgeon embarking on a comple...

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Systematic review and meta-analysis of the role of mental training in the acquisition of technical skills in surgery

Cited by 69 publications

References 29 publications

Effectiveness of a comprehensive mental skills curriculum in enhancing surgical performance: Results of a randomized controlled trial

Effectiveness of a comprehensive mental skills curriculum in enhancing surgical performance: Results of a randomized controlled trial

Application of Mental Skills Training in Surgery: A Review of Its Effectiveness and Proposed Next Steps

Improving procedural performance through warm-up and mental imagery

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