Minimizing Deterioration of Simulator-Acquired Skills During Transfer to the Operating Room: A Novel Approach

Abstract

Surgical skill deteriorates due to stress, but mental skills may negate this skill deterioration. We recently developed a mental skills curriculum (MSC) to address this, and present findings of its effectiveness compared to historical controls. The MSC was implemented with surgical novices during simulator training, and results were compared to historical controls who had no mental skills training. The groups were comparable at baseline. Compared with the MSC group, historical controls trained longer and achieved higher performance on the simulator but without appreciable differences during the transfer test. Deterioration was less in the MSC group during transfer. Our review highlights the effectiveness of mental skills training in surgical education in general, and our novel, comprehensive MSC in minimizing performance deterioration during transfer of simulator-acquired skill. Inexperienced surgical trainees who use a comprehensive MSC may be better prepared to handle the stressful OR environment and optimize their performance.