title: [Education in laparoscopic surgery: national survey on current strategies and relevance of simulation training].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Laparoscopic surgery demands from the surgeon specific operative skills. Learning -curves have been described for many procedures in this technique. In order to evaluate the avail-able laparoscopic teaching resources and meth-ods in Germany an opinion survey was per-formed.
  
  
  METHODS
  Directors of 284 surgical departments were polled using a questionnaire regarding department and operation statistics, -laparoscopic education and availability of simulation facilities ("Skills Labs" SL).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The response rate was 54 %. 88 % of the department directors considered laparoscopic -simulation an efficient teaching method and 91 % felt that simulation improves operating room performance. A SL was available in 27 % of these -departments. The training modules most commonly offered were basic laparoscopic skills such as coordination exercises (100 %) and suturing techniques (89 %). The actual median acquisition costs amounted to 20 000 € in our evaluation, with annual running costs of a median of 1000 €.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Although most of the questioned surgeons acknowledged the value of SL, this method of education is not widely available in Germany. Therefore we feel that simulation training in Germany still requires stronger support.
authors.affiliation: Universitätsklinikum Münster, Klinik und Poliklinik für Allgemein- und Viszeralchirurgie, Münster, Deutschland. Esther.Bonrath@ukmuenster.de
authors.forename: E M
authors.initials: EM
authors.lastname: Bonrath
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Buckl
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Brüwer
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Senninger
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rijcken
mesh_terms: D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003198:Computer Simulation / Q000191:economics; D003365:Costs and Cost Analysis; D003479:Curriculum; D003625:Data Collection; D004503:Education, Medical, Graduate / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D013502:General Surgery / Q000191:economics / Q000193:education*; D005858:Germany; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000191:economics / Q000193:education*; D059032:Learning Curve; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D013503:Surgery Department, Hospital; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D014584:User-Computer Interface