Simulation in orthopaedic training: would a national curriculum improve trainees’ surgical skills?

Abstract

Orthopaedic surgical education is undergoing a transition, requiring trainees to learn a greater number of complex surgical skills but with a reduction in learning opportunities. simulation has been proposed as one way to help solve this dichotomy. The Joint Committee on Surgical Training (JCST) hopes to incorporate simulation into the curriculum for all specialties. Our findings indicate that there is as yet no clear consensus in the literature that simulation in orthopaedic surgery provides a reliable and valid way of improving surgical skills. We therefore urge the JCST to commission a pilot study using its recently published simulation curriculum before making the large investment that would be required to roll it out nationwide.