Evaluating the Role of SURGical TElementoring in Acquisition of Surgical Skills of Laparoscopic Cholecystectomy. SURGTEACH Trial

Launched by NORDLANDSSYKEHUSET HF · May 14, 2024

Keywords

ClinConnect Summary

The SURGTEACH Trial is studying a new way to teach surgical skills called surgical telementoring (ST). In this trial, surgical residents will perform a procedure called laparoscopic cholecystectomy, which is a minimally invasive surgery to remove the gallbladder. Some residents will be guided by a mentor who is physically present in the operating room, while others will receive support from a mentor located far away, using special technology to communicate. The trial aims to see which method helps residents learn better and become more skilled surgeons.

To participate in this trial, surgical residents need to be in their first to sixth year of training and should have already completed more than five laparoscopic surgeries. They must also have taken a mandatory course on laparoscopic principles. Patients who might be included in the trial should have gallstone disease but no history of certain complications and must meet specific health criteria. All participants can expect to be part of a supportive learning environment where their performance will be recorded and assessed. This research could help improve how surgical skills are taught in the future.

Gender

ALL

Eligibility criteria

• Inclusion criteria for residents in control- and intervention group:
• • General surgery residents in years 1 to 6 of their specialty education having performed more than five laparoscopic procedures.
• • Stratification according to experience will be made for the subject in the control arm and in the intervention arm.
• • Having passed the prerequisite mandatory national course of general laparoscopic principles.
• • All residents had to undergo agreement with the mentor about communication model during surgery. This model is derived from LapcoNor principals (11). Residents in the intervention group underwent an additional introduction to the principals of communication through telementoring at the OR. They were introduced to the telementoring equipment.
• • Inclusion criteria for on-site mentors (control group) and telementors (intervention group): • - Consultant surgeon with more than 3 years of experience with independently performing laparoscopic cholecystectomies.
• • Having acquaintance with assessment of videos for GOALS-score (12)
• • Both telementors and on-site mentors had to show certificate of having done the national LapCo-Nor "train the trainer" course and followed standardized norms of communication with the mentee during surgical mentoring thus diminishing bias of communicative difference.
• Inclusion criteria for included patients:
• • Gallstone disease without clinical history of cholecystitis
• • BMI \< 38
• • No previous history of upper abdominal laparotomy
• • No previous history of percutaneous gallbladder drainage
• • Patient provided informed consent.