Digital Education in General Thoracic Surgery: A Narrative Review

Abstract

BackgroundSince advanced technologies were introduced into surgical education, a variety of new programs have been developed. However, a comprehensive review of digital education in general thoracic surgery has not been performed. This narrative review was conducted was to identify the current applications of digital education in general thoracic surgery. MethodsA literature search was performed using keywords related to general thoracic surgery and digital education, including e-learning and virtual simulation, up to September 2021. Studies published in English investigating the effect of digital education in general thoracic surgery were included. ResultsThirteen studies met the criteria. The settings were in undergraduate (n = 6) and postgraduate education (residency) (n = 5) and mixed audience with other disciplines (n = 2). Theoretical knowledge (n = 5), technical skills (n = 4), and both knowledge and technical skills (n = 4) were the stated educational objectives for the studies. The didactic materials were transferred to hardware, software, or online platforms and delivered with multimedia materials. Technical skills training for bronchoscopy and chest tube insertion (n = 5) were offered using virtual reality and computer-based simulations. Subjective evaluation was done in 10 studies. Although after the digital education training there was observed improvement in knowledge or skills in 8 studies, studies were not designed to test for superiority compared with controls through randomized controlled studies. ConclusionsThis review summarizes the current applications of digital education in general thoracic surgery and helps establish the needs for future studies in this field.