Use of collapsible box trainer as a module for resident education.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES

We sought to determine whether training with a simple collapsible mobile box trainer leads to improved performance of fundamental laparoscopic skills (FLSs) during a 6-month interval versus validated laparoscopic box trainers and virtual-reality trainers, only accessible at a simulation training center.

METHODS

With institutional review board approval, 20 first- and second-year general surgery residents were randomized to scheduled training sessions in a surgical simulation laboratory or training in the use of a portable, collapsible Train Anywhere Skill Kit (TASKit) (Ethicon Endo-Surgery Cincinnati, OH, USA) trainer. Training was geared toward the FLS set for a skill assessment examination at a 6-month interval.

RESULTS

The residents who trained with the TASKit performed the peg-transfer, pattern-cut exercise, Endoloop, and intracorporeal knot-tying FLS tasks statistically more efficiently during their 6-month assessment versus their initial evaluation as compared with the group randomized to the simulation laboratory training.

CONCLUSIONS

Using a simple collapsible mobile box trainer such as the TASKit can be a cost-effective method of training and preparing residents for FLS tasks considering the current cost associated with virtual and highdefinition surgical trainers. This mode of surgical training allows residents to practice in their own time by removing barriers associated with simulation centers.