Minimally invasive surgical technologies: Challenges in education and training

The laparoscopic revolution has fundamentally changed surgical technology. However, this new technology, with its unique psychomotor adaptations, has been a challenge for both experienced and novice surgeons. This review summarizes the history of practical education and training methods and those currently used to ensure surgeons safely practice these new surgical skills. Traditional training boxes, augmented reality simulators and virtual reality simulators represent recently developed educational tools. There are objective programs that subsequently assess the results of training by these simulation methods. Additionally, the advent of robotics in laparoscopic surgery has been accompanied by the introduction of computer-based robotic surgical simulators. Surgical curricula should also include non-technical skills training, particularly as global certification of technical and non-technical surgical skills is expected in the near future. Ultimately, these new systems of surgical simulation contribute to a decrease in surgical error as well as with reduced morbidity and mortality.