Posters

Structured cataract surgical curriculum for ophthalmic surgery training at virtual reality simulation centre, faculty of medicine, University of Maribor, Slovenia

Poster Details

First Author: D.Pahor SLOVENIA

Co Author(s):                  

Abstract Details

Purpose:

The quality of ophthalmic surgical training was increasingly changed in the last years. There are several tools currently available for training in phacoemulsification cataract surgery. Nowadays cataract surgery must be performed without mistake such is surgical trauma, which may lead to permanent blindness or prolonged recovery. Microsurgery is one of the surgery in which the ability of the surgeon to withstand the phychological pressure during the procedure is very important. Surgical simulators can be carried out especially for young un-experienced ophthalmologists. The aim of our presentation is to present the role of virtual reality (VR) simulators in phacoemulsification cataract surgery training as a new modern concept of ophthalmic surgical education for South-East part of Europe.

Setting:

1Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor, Slovenia 2Department of Ophthalmology, University Medical Centre Maribor, Slovenia

Methods:

VRMagic EYESi Ophthalmic Surgical Simulator (Mannheim, Germany) is one of the well-developed simulators available in the market currently. Several reports about training on EYESi were published in the last few years. The modern equipment at Faculty of Medicine, University of Maribor with complete nowadays available ophthalmic simulators including EyeSi indirect ophthalmoscope simulator, EyeSi vitreoretinal simulator and EyeSi cataract simulator offers a new opportunity to perform a new modern concept of ophthalmic surgical training not only for the trainees in Slovenia, but also for the trainees in Alps-Adria countries in this South-East part of Europe.

Results:

Structured sequential customised supervised cataract simulation training curriculum was developed by the International forum of ophthalmic simulation (IFOS). This curriculum represents the first evidence-based platform for cataract simulation programme on ophthalmic surgeons. All candidates pass through the exact same prescribed programme, the exact same set of tasks in the same order. At the beginning, the participants had to complete four entry tasks, single-handed tasks such are intracapsular cataract navigation training (level 3), intracapsular cataract anti-tremor training (level 2), capsulorhexis training (level 1) and bimanual task as cataract cracking and chopping training (level 2). The next step is to pass through the structured sequential programme. Category A: anterior chamber navigation, intracapsular navigation, bimanual navigation, instruments; and category B: navigation and instruments, capsulorhexis, intracapsular tissue, stop and chop. At the end all participants had to complete the exit baseline, which included the same entry four tasks in order to compare entry and exit results. The data from ophthalmic surgical simulation studies confirm that there is a new high-tech era for effective surgical training for better learning outcomes not only for the trainees but also for trainers and what is the most important for more safety and quality management of our patients.

Conclusions:

VR ophthalmic surgical simulation presents a new approach for education of ophthalmic surgeons before to use the wet labs and to perform real operating room surgery. Some studies in the last two years revealed that ophthalmic virtual reality (VR) simulators should be performed as essential in training of basic ophthalmic microsurgical skills. Unfortunately the application of VR simulators is limited in most countries because of very high costs. With the opening of a new building of Medical faculty in Maribor, Slovenia in 2013 with Ophthalmic Virtual Reality Simulation Centre this became a reality. That is the reason more to use these modern equipment adequately and as soon as possible to contribute to better education for young ophthalmologist in this part of Europe . FINANCIAL INTEREST: NONE