title: Does Simulation-Based Training Improve Procedural Skills of Beginners in Interventional Cardiology?--A Stratified Randomized Study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To assess whether mentored simulation-based-training can improve the procedural skills of beginners in coronary interventional procedures.
  
  
  BACKGROUND
  Simulation based-catheter training is a valuable tool to practice interventional procedures. Whether this type of training enhances the procedural skills of fellows learning percutaneous coronary interventions has never been studied.
  
  
  METHODS
  Eighteen cardiology fellows were randomized either into the simulation-based training (n = 9) or the control group (n = 9). The simulation group received 7.5 hours of virtual reality (VR) simulation training, whereas the control group attended 4.5 hours of lectures. Each participant had to perform a simple (pre-evaluation) and a more complex (post-evaluation) catheter intervention on a pulsatile coronary flow model in a catheterization laboratory. All procedures were videotaped, analyzed, and rated by 3 expert interventionalists, who were blinded to the randomization. To assess the individual performance level, a "skills score" was determined, comprising 14 performance characteristics (5-level Likert scale, maximum score of 70 points).
  
  
  RESULTS
  The "skills score" increased by 5.8 ± 6.1 points in the VR simulation group and decreased by 6.7 ± 8.4 in the control group (P = 0.003) from the simple stenosis at pre- to the more complex lesion at post-evaluation demonstrating the effectiveness of simulation-based training.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This pilot study suggests that curriculum-based mentored VR simulation training improves the performance level of cardiology fellows in coronary interventions. Further investigation to evaluate the effect on clinical outcomes is warranted.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I-Cardiology, Würzburg University, Germany.
authors.forename: Wolfram
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Voelker
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I-Cardiology, Würzburg University, Germany.
authors.forename: Nils
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Petri
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Leopoldina Hospital, Schweinfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Christoph
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Tönissen
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine I-Cardiology, Würzburg University, Germany.|Comprehensive Heart Failure Center Würzburg, Würzburg University, Germany.
authors.forename: Stefan
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Störk
authors.affiliation: Heart Clinic Ulm, Ulm, Germany.
authors.forename: Ralf
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Birkemeyer
authors.affiliation: Cardiology Practice Frankfurt, Frankfurt, Germany.
authors.forename: Erhard
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kaiser
authors.affiliation: Clinic for Internal Medicine and Cardiology Calw, Calw District Hospital, Germany.
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Oberhoff
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002309:Cardiology / Q000193:education*; D002983:Clinical Competence; D004521:Educational Measurement / Q000379:methods; D005257:Fellowships and Scholarships / Q000379:methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D062645:Percutaneous Coronary Intervention / Q000193:education*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D000066908:Simulation Training / Q000379:methods*; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis