Evaluation of laparoscopic skills: A 2-year follow-up during residency training

OBJECTIVE: TO evaluate laparoscopic technical skill in surgical residents o ver a 2-year period. DESIGN: The laparoscopic technical skills of general surgical residents wer e evaluated using the MISTELS program. This provides an objective evaluatio n of laparoscopic skill, taking into account precision and speed. SETTING: Inanimate laparoscopic skills centre, PARTICIPANTS: Ten general surgical residents (5 PGY1, 3 PGY2 and 2 PGY3 res idents) who were required to complete 3 structured laparoscopic tasks. OUTCOME MEASURES: A composite score incorporating precision and timing was assigned to each task, The paired t-test was used to compare performance of each resident at the 2 levels of their residency training for each task. L inear regression analysis was used to correlate level of training and total score (sum of all tasks), RESULTS: Linear regression analysis demonstrated a highly significant corre lation between level of training and total score (r = 0.82, P < 0.01), Ther e was a significant increase in scores in the cutting and suturing task ove r the 2-year period (p < 0.01), Transferring skills did not improve signifi cantly (p = 0.11), CONCLUSIONS: Performance in the simulator improved over residency training and was correlated highly with postgraduate year. This simulator model is a valuable teaching tool for training and evaluation of basic laparoscopic t asks in laparoscopic surgery.