Assessment of psychomotor skills acquisition during laparoscopic cholecystectomy courses

Background Standardized short courses in laparoscopic cholecystectomy aim to teach laparoscopic skills to surgical trainees, although end-of-course assessments of performance remain subjective. The current study aims to objectively assess psychomotor skills acquisition of trainees attending laparoscopic cholecystectomy courses. Methods Thirty-seven junior surgical trainees had their laparoscopic skills assessed before and after attending 1 of 3 separate 2-day courses (A, B, and C), all with identical format. Assessments were comprised of a standardized simulated laparoscopic task, with performance measured using a valid electromagnetic hand-motion tracking device. Results Overall, trainees made significant improvements in path length (P = .006), number of movements (P < .001), and time taken (P < .001). Analyzing the 3 courses separately, only trainees attending courses A and C made significant improvements. Discussion Objective validated methods can be used to assess learning of psychomotor skills on courses. In addition to providing participants with an insight into their skills, these data can be used to demonstrate course efficacy.