The role of multimedia interactive programs in training for laparoscopic procedures

Background: The application of minimally invasive techniques to the performance of abdominal surgery by general surgeons has been perhaps the greatest advance in the history of general surgery. The safe adoption of many of these procedures, however, has been hampered by significant obstacles, mainly due to the problem of providing adequate training for surgeons. Outside of animal and cadaver labs, most training has been didactic in nature, and adoption rates after completion of these courses are discouraging. Multimedia interactive training has been used in a number of high-tech industries with great success. A >60% improvement in the learning curve after multimedia interactive training, as compared to traditional didactic training, has been reported. Multimedia interactive training programs for surgeons that use content and input from multiple experts in laparoscopic procedures have now been developed. Methods: Residents from a general surgery residency program who used these programs were asked to rate their effectiveness in increasing their knowledge and comfort level prior to their participation in a real procedure as the primary surgeon or first assistant. A comparison to other traditional training techniques was also made. Eleven residents completed 41 programs designed to teach one of five different laparoscopic procedures-cholecystectomy, fundoplication, appendectomy, colon resection, or hernia repair. Results: On a scale of 1 to 10, with 10 being the highest, the residents reported that the multimedia interactive training programs raised their knowledge level of the procedure from 6.0 to 8.7 (+2.7 point value increase after using the multimedia interactive program). The programs increased their comfort level when actually called on to perform or assist with the procedure from 5.3 to 8.1 (+2.8 point value increase after using the multimedia interactive program). Tn comparing the value of training methods for learning laparoscopic procedures, the residents rated text, lectures, videos, and animal labs at 4.7, 5.1, 6.0 and 7.3, respectively. By comparison, the residents rated the multimedia interactive training program at 8.8. Conclusion: The use of multimedia interactive training programs in addition to current laparoscopic training courses may help to increase the safe adoption of laparoscopic procedures. These programs may be a beneficial adjunct to residency training programs.