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#Industry News

VirtaMed Simulation Course at the FORTE Summer School

VirtaMed supported FORTE Summer School in holding a training course on our ArthroS™ simulators in the Humanitas University.

13 residents (1st to 6th year) from hospitals all over Europe took part in the arthroscopy simulation course on the knee and shoulder modules. They were instructed by Dr. Martina Vitz, Head of Training and Education in VirtaMed, and Dr. med. Jasmin Diallo, President of FORTE.

The competency based learning course consisted of exercises from basic skills to more advanced procedures. To finish the course successfully, the residents needed to get a certain amount of points for each exercise. Reaching that level of proficiency is only possible by repetition. They advanced from the FAST module to the knee and shoulder ones, repeating each case as many times as needed to unlock the next one.

"Medical simulation in education is crucial. It's the first step in learning a procedure without damaging the patient. Arthroscopic surgery is one of the most important fields to simulate, because arthroscopists need to learn a different way of moving their hands in a triangular aspect," said Prof. Alessandro Castagna, Director of Orthopedic Residency Program in Humanitas University.

“Can we come and train before the lectures start in the morning?”

We are always happy to confirm how motivated young doctors are to train on simulators. During the four days the course was held, the participants started arriving earlier and earlier each morning, making sure they got the most out of simulator training by the end of the summer school. The enthusiasm to complete the exercises on the knee and the shoulder modules to the satisfactory score was equal to the curiosity of trying out the hip module. The students agreed that hip arthroscopy is really advanced and appreciated the sudden abundance of space in the shoulder and knee joints after trying to operate in the hip.

"I was a participant of the first FORTE Summer School VirtaMed Simulation Course and it was a good opportunity to prepare for my board exam in Switzerland where they use the same simulators for the final exam for knee and shoulder arthroscopy," said Dr. med. Jasmin Diallo, Orthopedic Surgeon and President of FORTE.

Diallo is certain that simulator training, particularly proficiency-based training, is a great way for a resident to train crucial skills like maintaining the horizon, triangulation, and further on more specific procedures like meniscectomy or ACL reconstruction.

Almost all of the students said that their manual arthroscopy skills improved during the course, and expressed the need for a simulator in their institution. The participants also needed to fill out a spatial recognition test before and after the course. The results showed improvement in spatial recognition skills for the vast majority. At the end of the course, one student even managed to get the maximum score!

"Simulation has been shown to improve performance, reduce errors, and operating time. So, I think there are multiple benefits. Number one, residents will feel more comfortable in participating in the operating room. Number two, the professional doctors will spend less time on training and educating their residents. Number three, it's a benefit for Humanitas. It improves the reputation of Humanitas as an innovative training center by offering the opportunity of simulation for residents. Also, it's a more cost-effective way of working. Ultimately, and most importantly, simulation will improve patient care, and that's what we are here for." Dr. med. Claudia Ebm, Project Manager at Humanitas University Luzzatto Medical Simulation Center

In total, we were happy to support the training of 13 residents who collectively did 900 cases on the arthroscopy simulators during 50 hours. This means that each participant did around 70 cases during the 4-day course. That is a lot of hands-on practice!

Details

  • Rütistrasse 12, 8952 Schlieren, Switzerland
  • VirtaMed