<p>Simulation Training in Urology: State of the Art and Future Directions</p>

Abstract

There has been a major shift from the old paradigm of 'see one, do one, teach one' in medical training due in large part to resident work-hour restrictions and required oversight in the operating room. In response to this, advancements in technology have allowed for the introduction of more objective measures to assess the skill competency and proficiency of surgical trainees. Patient safety and trainee well-being are important drivers for this new model, and so surgical training programs are adopting simulation into their curriculum. Urology is uniquely positioned at the forefront of new emerging technologies in surgery, because of the field's commitment to safe and efficient minimally invasive surgery and endourological procedures. Due to these technically challenging procedures, urological training must incorporate these educational technologies to allow for objective skills assessment, skills transfer, and ultimately providing optimal patient care with the production of proficient and competent urological trainees.

Outcomes of Robotic Surgery for Low-Volume Surgeons

“…In recent years, various robotic simulation platforms have been developed and are commercially available. In particular, the da Vinci skills simulator is closely attached to the surgeon console that would be otherwise used for robotic-assisted surgeries [66].…”

Urology boot camp for medical students: Using virtual technology to enhance undergraduate education

“…There are numerous positive aspects of virtual training that can be taken forward such as increasing technical and non‐technical skill acquisition through simulation 7,8 . It can also reduce the need for facilities and travel costs as well as improve the ease of attendance 9 .…”

Remote surgical education using synthetic models combined with an augmented reality headset

“…For example, these models are not applicable to training on a prostate fusion biopsy platform where more realistic tissue with pathology is needed to accurately teach both image co-registration and the biopsy procedure [ 3 ]. While animal laboratories are often used for laparoscopy training, ethical considerations and the lack of disease-specific anatomy create significant barriers to their continued use and in optimizing the hands-on experience [ 4 ]. Many centers have switched to “box trainers” or synthetic bench models where components of relevant anatomy are designed to improve surgical skills.…”

“…The cancellation of the in-person American Urologic Association, European Urology Association, and American Brachytherapy Society annual meetings for 2020 and 2021 eliminated the hands-on skills workshops which were highly regarded by clinicians as an opportunity to gain experience and hone their skills on new medical devices. A detailed description of modern techniques, even with accompanying video, however, is not an optimal replacement for in-person training on models [ 4 ].…”