Web-Based Application Learning: A New Approach to Promote Learning the Basic Principles of Laparoscopic Surgery Equipment and Tools

Abstract

Introduction : Learning and adapting to different types of skills and different work roles in the operating room environment is a difficult matter because students have to learn many interventions in the surgical process before, during and after surgery. Effective education is education that leads to improving the knowledge, skills and performance of learners; Therefore, to achieve this goal, appropriate methods should be considered in educational planning; This study seeks to answer the question of how much web application-based training can improve the cognitive skills, functional skills and satisfaction of operating room technology students in relation to the basic principles of laparoscopic surgery equipment and devices? Materials and methods This study was conducted as a semi-experimental study with two groups (intervention and control) and during this study, after designing a web application for laparoscopic surgery tools and equipment, among 69 students of the 4th and 6th semesters of operating room technology, At the internship site, 50 students who met the entry criteria entered the study after explaining the study process and obtaining informed written consent and were randomly divided into two groups of 25, intervention and control. The students passed cognitive skills tests before and after the intervention (30 four-choice questions), a functional skills checklist (15 items) and a satisfaction questionnaire (10 items), whose validity and reliability were measured in advance. The data was analyzed using descriptive and analytical statistical tests. Findings: 15 (30%) of the students were male and 35 (70%) were female. There was no significant difference between the average grades of the digestion course of the control and intervention groups (P = 0.437). No significant difference was seen in the average cognitive skill scores of the two previous groups before intervention (P = 0.114), but the average cognitive skill scores of the intervention group after the intervention (14.72 ± 3.208 out of 30 scores) were significantly higher than the control group (12.2 ± 3.227) (P = 0.008). The average functional skill scores of the intervention group (47.40 ± 7.805 out of 75 scores) regardless of the greater number of women in this group, was significantly higher than the control group (42/52 ± 7/060) after the intervention (P = 0.025). Also, the average satisfaction scores of the intervention group (37.56 ± 6.131 out of 50 scores) were significantly higher than the control group (31/32 ± 3/449) after the intervention (P = 0.000). Conclusion The use of the educational web application of laparoscopic surgery tools and equipment was effective in improving the cognitive and functional skills of students and they showed more interest in using this technology than the traditional method. Also, this technology can be used as a complementary educational method to prepare and increase the efficiency of students before entering the actual clinical environment.