Design of training protocol for perceptual and technical skills in minimally invasive surgery

This study investigates how the technical and perceptual skills in laparoscopic surgery, typically acquired separately in the initial learning phases, can be trained together. A task analysis and cognitive task analysis were conducted using a cholecystectomy procedure and a fundoplication procedure. An experiment was conducted to examine the interaction of technical and perceptual skill learning. Subjects were divided into three groups based on order of skills training: 1) technical-perceptual-combined skills training order, 2) perceptual-technical-combined skills training order, and 3) combined skills training. After the training sessions, performance was evaluated using the combined skill. Preliminary results indicate that performance of the group trained in the combined skills condition performed equally quickly as those who trained the technical and perceptual skills separately first. In addition, the number of technical errors and perceptual errors committed were lower. This suggests that surgical skills training may be more efficient if perceptual learning is combined with motor skills during the initial phases of training. This has implications for the design of surgical training simulators and surgical education in general.