Educational Value of an Intensive and Structured Interval Practice Laparoscopic Training Course for Residents in Obstetrics and Gynecology: a Four-year Prospective, Multi-institutional Recruitment Study

Objective: To assess the educational value of an ongoing interval practice laparoscopy training program among obstetrics and gynecology residents.

Design: Prospective cohort, multi-institutional recruitment study. We conducted structured laparoscopic training sessions for residents, using both inanimate and porcine models. The 6-day course was separated into two 3-day long modules conducted 2 months apart. A prospective evaluation of standardized tasks was performed using validated scales. Resident's performance was compared using the Student t test and Wilcoxon signed-rank test when appropriate.

Setting: International Center of Endoscopic Surgery (CICE), Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Participants: 191 PGY2 or PGY3 residents from different institutions.

Results: Significant improvement in time and technical scores for both laparoscopic suturing and porcine nephrectomy was noted (p < 0.0001). After 2 months, we found no improvement in suturing time (p = 0.59) or technical scores (p = 0.62), and significant technical deterioration was observed for the right hand (p = 0.02). Porcine nephrectomy improvement remained significant after 2 months (p < 0.0001).

Conclusions: Despite significant short-term educational value of interval practice in laparoscopic performance, some acquired skills seem to deteriorate faster than anticipated.