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Despite its short history, surgical simulation has been successfully introduced into surgical residency programs in an effort to augment training. A wide range of simulator types and levels of complexity have proven an effective teaching method for surgical trainees. They have been used for training in areas such as general surgery, urology, gynecology, and ophthalmology among others. Coincident with the introduction of simulators is the need for objective evaluation of skills learned on them, which has led to the development and validation of multiple evaluation tools. This article evaluates the drivers for simulation, types of simulators, training, and evaluation of them especially as it pertains to laparoscopic colorectal surgery.

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RALR had significantly higher costs and operative time than traditional LAP without a measurable benefit.

Combining laparoscopic colectomy with an ERP is cost-effective and results in similar short-term outcomes for the elderly and nonelderly patients. Despite higher comorbidities, elderly patients realized the same benefits of shorter LOS with similar hospital costs and readmission rates.

SPC is feasible and promising for improving colorectal surgery outcomes. SPC identified patient and process characteristics associated with increased LOS. SPC may allow real-time outlier identification, during quality improvement efforts, and reevaluation of outcomes after introducing process change. SPC has clinical implications for improving patient outcomes and resource utilization.

Hospital length of stay (LOS) and readmissions continue to be expensive and unexpected events following colorectal surgery (CRS) whether patients follow enhanced recovery pathways or traditional care. Predictors of these adverse events could facilitate identification and optimization of CRS patients. the aim of the study was to examine the impact of white blood cell count (WBC) and C-reactive protein (CRP) levels as predictors of delayed recovery or hospital readmission following CRS. material and methods. Patients undergoing laparoscopic or open abdominal colorectal surgery by a single surgeon were managed using standardized enhanced recovery pathways. Those with postoperative day 2 CRP and white blood cell values were evaluated. Outcomes included 30-day hospital readmission rates and postoperative length of hospital stay. results. CRP values were available for 193 patients (86 Male, mean age 58.6 years). Ninety-nine patients had surgery for colon cancer, 23 for Crohn's disease, 19 for ulcerative colitis, 31 for diverticulitis and 18 for other reasons. Twenty patients (10.4%) were readmitted to the hospital within 30 days of surgery. POD2 CRP accurately predicted short length of hospital stay (p< 0.01). Average CRP was 6.3 in the LOS of < 3 days or less, and 11.7 in patients with LOS >4 days. The mean CRP of the readmission and non-readmission groups was 11.8 and 9.9, respectively (p=0.29). The average POD 2 WBC of the readmission and non-readmission groups was 10.6 and 9 respectively (p=0.01). conclusion. A low POD2 CRP level was correlated with a shorter LOS, but it did not predict readmission. Conversely, POD2 WBC, and the difference in WBC from baseline were associated with readmission. These markers may be useful indicators to predict suitability of early discharge in an ERP. Further evaluation in prospective trials is warranted.

The addition of a transverse abdominus plane block and acetaminophen significantly reduced length of stay more than that seen with a previously established pathway. Statistical process control demonstrated that our pathway changes significantly reduced the spread of outliers around our mean length of stay.