Abstract
Background: Laparoscopy is now central to surgical and gynaecological practice, yet formal exposure to minimally invasive surgery during undergraduate medical training remains limited in many Indian institutions. Simulation-based workshops offer a means of acquiring theoretical knowledge and basic psychomotor familiarity in a setting that carries no risk to patients.
Objective: To evaluate the effectiveness of a structured “Basics of Laparoscopy” workshop in improving the laparoscopic knowledge and self-reported confidence of undergraduate medical students and interns.
Methods: This single-group pre–post interventional study was conducted in a Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. One hundred undergraduate medical students and compulsory rotating interns attended a structured four-hour workshop delivered in two batches, comprising a keynote lecture, interactive teaching by fellowship-trained endoscopic surgeons, demonstration of laparoscopic instrumentation, and supervised hands-on practice on low-fidelity endotrainers. Knowledge was assessed using a purpose-designed 20-item multiple-choice questionnaire administered immediately before and immediately after the workshop, and participant experience using a structured feedback questionnaire. Paired scores were compared using the Wilcoxon matched-pairs signed-rank test.
Results: Paired data were available for 98 of 100 participants. The mean knowledge score rose from 7.63 ± 2.40 to 15.98 ± 2.20 out of 20, a mean gain of 8.35 marks (p < 0.0001), corresponding to a normalised gain of 0.68. Improvement was observed across all assessed domains, including laparoscopic principles, instrumentation, ergonomics, port placement and recognition of complications. Participant feedback was uniformly favourable: 97% reported improved understanding of laparoscopic principles, 94% improved confidence in instrument handling, 92% rated the practical sessions as excellent or very good, and 99% recommended incorporating similar workshops into the undergraduate curriculum.
Conclusion: A short, structured, simulation-based laparoscopy workshop produced a large and statistically significant improvement in undergraduate knowledge of minimally invasive surgery, together with high participant satisfaction and self-reported confidence. Because assessment was confined to knowledge and self-report immediately after the intervention, these findings correspond to Kirkpatrick levels 1 and 2a; objective psychomotor assessment and delayed retesting are required before conclusions can be drawn about skill acquisition or durability.
Keywords: Laparoscopy; Undergraduate medical education; Simulation training; Endotrainer; Competency-based medical education; Obstetrics and gynaecology