title: Training to maintain surgical skills during periods of robotic surgery inactivity.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The study was performed to establish a level of practice needed for newly-trained residents to maintain robotic surgical skills during periods of robotic inactivity.
  
  
  METHODS
  Ten surgical residents were trained to a standardized level of robotic surgery proficiency with inanimate models. At the end of two, four and six weeks, the residents practiced with the models for a total of one hour. Each resident performed a timed tissue closure task immediately after reaching the proficiency standards and twice in succession at eight weeks. Time to completion was compared between the three trials with a repeated measures ANOVA and a post-hoc test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Average time to complete the tissue closure task decreased by more than 25% over the period between reaching the proficiency standards and the trials at eight weeks, with the difference significant (P < 0.004).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Biweekly practice for one hour was sufficient to maintain robotic surgical skills.
authors.affiliation: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Akron General Medical Center, Akron, OH, USA.
authors.forename: Loredana M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Guseila
authors.forename: Archana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saranathan
authors.forename: Eric L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Jenison
authors.forename: Karen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Gil
authors.forename: John J
authors.initials: JJ
authors.lastname: Elias
mesh_terms: D002983:Clinical Competence; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction / Q000379:methods; D003479:Curriculum; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007396:Internship and Residency; D008297:Male; D008953:Models, Anatomic; D065287:Robotic Surgical Procedures / Q000193:education*
keywords: robotic surgery; surgical skills; training