Does a surgical simulator improve resident operative performance of laparoscopic tubal ligation?

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess whether a surgical skills simulator laboratory improves resident knowledge and operative performance of laparoscopic tubal ligation. STUDY DESIGN: Twenty postgraduate year 1 residents were assigned randomly to either a surgical simulator laboratory on laparoscopic tubal ligation together with apprenticeship teaching in the operating room or to apprenticeship teaching alone. Tests that were given before and after the training assessed basic knowledge. Attending physicians who were blinded to resident randomization status evaluated postgraduate year 1 performance on a laparoscopic tubal ligation in the operating room with 3 validated tools: a task-specific checklist, global rating scale, and pass/fail grade. RESULTS: Postgraduate year 1 residents who were assigned randomly to the surgical simulator laboratory performed significantly better than control subjects on all 3 surgical assessment tools (the checklist, the global score, and the pass/fail analysis) and scored significantly better on the knowledge posttest (all P < .0005). CONCLUSION: Compared with apprenticeship teaching alone, a surgical simulator laboratory on laparoscopic tubal ligation improved resident knowledge and performance in the operating room.