title: Developing an International Combined Applied Surgical Science and Wet Lab Simulation Course as an Undergraduate Teaching Model.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Essential Skills in the Management of Surgical Cases (ESMSC) is an international, animal model-based course. It combines interactive lectures with basic ex vivo stations and more advanced wet lab modules, that is, in vivo dissections and Heart Transplant Surgery on a swine model.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty-nine medical students (male, N = 27, female N = 22, and mean age = 23.7 years) from King's College London (KCL) and Greek Medical Schools attended the course. Participants were assessed with Direct Observation of Procedural Skills (DOPS), as well as Multiple Choice Questions (MCQs). Paired t-test associations were used to evaluate whether there was statistically significant improvement in their performance.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the effectiveness of a combined applied surgical science and wet lab simulation course as a teaching model for surgical skills at the undergraduate level.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The mean MCQ score was improved by 2.33/32 (P < 0.005). Surgical skills competences, as defined by DOPS scores, were improved in a statically significant manner (P < 0.005 for all paired t-test correlations).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  ESMSC seems to be an effective teaching model, which improves the understanding of the surgical approach and the basic surgical skills. In vivo models could be used potentially as a step further in the Undergraduate Surgical Education.
authors.affiliation: King's College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Denmark Hill, London SE5 9RS, UK.
authors.forename: Michail
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sideris
authors.affiliation: Experimental Research Centre of ELPEN, 19009 Pikermi, Greece.
authors.forename: Apostolos
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Papalois
authors.affiliation: Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, 54124 Thessaloniki, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Tsoulfas
authors.affiliation: Pinderfields Hospital, NHS, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF1 4DG, UK ; University of Leeds, Leeds LS2 9JT, UK.
authors.forename: Sanjib
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Majumder
authors.affiliation: University of Athens, Goudi, 11527 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Konstantinos
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Toutouzas
authors.affiliation: University of Patras, 26500 Rio, Greece.
authors.forename: Efstratios
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Koletsis
authors.affiliation: Evangelismos Hospital, 10676 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Panagiotis
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Dedeilias
authors.affiliation: Pinderfields Hospital, NHS, Wakefield, West Yorkshire WF1 4DG, UK.
authors.forename: Nikolaos
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Lymperopoulos
authors.affiliation: King's College London, Strand WC2R 2LS, UK.
authors.forename: Savvas
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Papagrigoriadis
authors.affiliation: Hammersmith Hospital, London W12 0HS, UK ; Imperial College London, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
authors.forename: Vassilios
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Papalois
authors.affiliation: University of Athens, Goudi, 11527 Athens, Greece ; Hippocration University Hospital, 11528 Athens, Greece.
authors.forename: Georgios
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Zografos
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate / Q000379:methods*; D004521:Educational Measurement; D005260:Female; D013502:General Surgery / Q000379:methods*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D023421:Models, Animal; D013337:Students, Medical; D013552:Swine; D055815:Young Adult