title: Construction of an evidence-based, graduated training curriculum for D-box, a webcam-based laparoscopic basic skills trainer box.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Surgical training programs are now including simulators as training tools for teaching laparoscopic surgery. The aim of this study was to develop a standardized, graduated, and evidence-based curriculum for the newly developed D-box (D-box Medical, Lier, Norway) for training basic laparoscopic skills.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen interns with no laparoscopic experience completed a training program on the D-box consisting of 8 sessions of 5 tasks with assessment on a sixth task. Performance was measured by the use of 3-dimensional electromagnetic tracking of hand movements, path length, and time taken. Ten experienced surgeons (>100 laparoscopic surgeries, median 250) were recruited for establishing benchmark criteria.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Significant learning curves were obtained for all construct valid parameters for tasks 4 (P < .005) and 5 (P < .005) and reached plateau levels between the fifth and sixth session. Within the 8 sessions of this study, between 50% and 89% of the interns reached benchmark criteria on tasks 4 and 5.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Benchmark criteria and an evidence-based curriculum have been developed for the D-box. The curriculum is aimed at training and assessing surgical novices in basic laparoscopic skills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Surgery, Oestfold Hospital Trust, N-1603 Fredrikstad, Norway. anders@debes.no
authors.forename: Anders J
authors.initials: AJ
authors.lastname: Debes
authors.forename: Rajesh
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aggarwal
authors.forename: Indran
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Balasundaram
authors.forename: Morten B J
authors.initials: MB
authors.lastname: Jacobsen
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003198:Computer Simulation; D003479:Curriculum; D019317:Evidence-Based Medicine; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000193:education*; D059032:Learning Curve; D008297:Male; D017145:Models, Educational; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D057211:Webcasts as Topic