A Promising Future for Hands-On At-Home Training in Pediatric Surgery

Introduction Sufficient training is needed to acquire and retain the procedural skills needed for the surgical correction of congenital anatomical malformations. This study aims to assess the opinions of trainees and pediatric surgeons on the use of simulation-based continued at-home training, which can help to acquire these skills. Methods This study consisted of two parts. First, an international survey among trainees and pediatric surgeons assessed their opinions on simulation-based at-home training for pediatric surgical procedures (5-point Likert scale). Second, participants of pediatric colorectal courses were instructed to practice the posterior sagittal anorectoplasty procedure at-home on a simulation model and, subsequently, complete a questionnaire regarding their opinions on continuous at-home training (5-point Likert scale). Results A total of 163 participants (83% pediatric surgeons) completed the international survey (response rate 43%). Overall, participants considered the training useful for both laparoscopic (mean 4.7) and open procedures (mean 4.2) and agreed that it may be used at home after a hands-on course (mean 4.3). Twenty participants completed the questionnaire on continued training (response rate 36%). All agreed that at-home training was of added value (mean 4.5) and that the skills were transferable to the clinical setting (mean 4.3). At-home training was regarded a suitable exercise after a hands-on workshop (mean 4.3), but less so without a workshop (mean 3.7, p =0.017). Conclusion Participating trainees and pediatric surgeons were of the opinion that simulation models and at-home training have added value. This implies that simulation-based training may be used more often in pediatric surgical training.