title: Retention of laparoscopic skills in naive medical students who underwent short training.
abstract: Simulators are useful tools in the development of laparoscopic skills. However, little is known about the effectiveness of short laparoscopic training sessions and how retention of skills occurs in surgical trainees who are naïve to laparoscopy. This study analyses the retention of laparoscopic surgical skills in medical students without prior surgical training.
  
  
  
  A group of first- and second-year medical students (n = 68), without prior experience in surgery or laparoscopy, answered a demographic questionnaire and had their laparoscopic skills assessed by the Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) training protocol. Subsequently, they underwent a 150-minute training course after which they were re-tested. One year after the training, the medical students' performance in the simulator was re-evaluated in order to analyse retention.
  
  
  
  Of the initial 68 students, a total of 36 participated throughout the entire study, giving a final participation rate of 52 %. Thirty-six medical students with no gender predominance and an average age of 20 years were evaluated. One year after the short training programme, retention was 69.3 % in the peg transfer (p < 0.05) and 64.2 % in ligature (p < 0.05) compared with immediate post-training evaluation. There was no significant difference in suturing. The average sample score in the baseline test was 8.3, in the post-training test it was 89.7, and in the retention test it was 84.2, which corresponded to a skill retention equivalence of 93 %.
  
  
  
  There was a significant retention of the laparoscopic surgical skills developed. Even 1 year after a short training session, medical students without previous surgical experience showed that they have retained a great part of the skills acquired through training.
authors.affiliation: Universidade Positivo, Rua Prof. Pedro Viriato Parigot de Souza, 5300, Post Graduation Building, Curitiba, 81280-330, Brazil. gmullersantana@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Guilherme M
authors.initials: GM
authors.lastname: Sant'Ana
authors.affiliation: Universidade Positivo, Rua Prof. Pedro Viriato Parigot de Souza, 5300, Post Graduation Building, Curitiba, 81280-330, Brazil.
authors.forename: Worens
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Cavalini
authors.affiliation: Universidade Positivo, Rua Prof. Pedro Viriato Parigot de Souza, 5300, Post Graduation Building, Curitiba, 81280-330, Brazil.
authors.forename: Bruce
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Negrello
authors.affiliation: Minimally Invasive Surgery, Jacques Perissat Institute, Curitiba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Eduardo A
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Bonin
authors.affiliation: Minimally Invasive Surgery, Jacques Perissat Institute, Curitiba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Daniellson
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Dimbarre
authors.affiliation: Universidade Positivo, Rua Prof. Pedro Viriato Parigot de Souza, 5300, Post Graduation Building, Curitiba, 81280-330, Brazil.|Minimally Invasive Surgery, Jacques Perissat Institute, Curitiba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Christiano
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Claus
authors.affiliation: Universidade Positivo, Rua Prof. Pedro Viriato Parigot de Souza, 5300, Post Graduation Building, Curitiba, 81280-330, Brazil.|Minimally Invasive Surgery, Jacques Perissat Institute, Curitiba, Brazil.
authors.forename: Marcelo P
authors.initials: MP
authors.lastname: Loureiro
authors.affiliation: Universidade Positivo, Rua Prof. Pedro Viriato Parigot de Souza, 5300, Post Graduation Building, Curitiba, 81280-330, Brazil.
authors.forename: Paolo R
authors.initials: PR
authors.lastname: Salvalaggio
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil; D002983:Clinical Competence; D003198:Computer Simulation; D004504:Education, Medical, Undergraduate; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D010535:Laparoscopy / Q000193:education*; D008137:Longitudinal Studies; D008297:Male; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013337:Students, Medical; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013647:Task Performance and Analysis; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: FLS; Laparoscopy simulation; Skill acquisition; Skill retention; Student; Surgical education