Reduced cost training program in minimally invasive surgery

Abstract

Minimally Invasive Surgery (MIS) procedures are now considered mainstay practice in the best hospitals wordwide. Despite its benefits, high costs and increased hazards appear as disadvantages for this technology. Suboptimal surgeon performance is a major hazard in many centers and can be overcome by an adequate training program. This work describes a reduced cost Training Program (TP) composed of three levels of theory and practice activities to improve the skills of the surgeons in MIS. The basic level is composed by 1 h of lessons on the videosurgery setup, optics and instruments, and a practice lessons composed of eight exercises in inanimate models. The intermediary level consists of 1 h of theory with 6 h of practice exercises in electrosurgery (chicken leg) and 4 h of laparoscopic suture in Neoderma simulation pieces. The third (advanced) level, consists of a hysterectomy in a living animal (pig). The investment in permanent assets for the basic and intermediary levels is roughly US$ 12,000,00; and for the advanced level, US$ 180,00 are needed per procedure. This TP has been applied in a multidisciplinary program involving medicine and clinical engineering areas in a University Woman´s Hospital. Twenty-one medical residents started the program and 10 completed all levels.