An innovative method for digital practical education at the Department of Surgical Research and Techniques

16 April 2020

After the closure of the universities, the transition to digital distance education at the Department of Surgical Research and Techniques was smooth. In addition to the transfer of theoretical curriculum to the form of digital distance education, developments aimed at continuing and improving practical training have been implemented and introduced.

In the past semesters, a student initiative called the Surgical Society was launched, providing extended and effective skill training opportunities regularly for students interested in the surgical-manual professions. In response to the extraordinary interest, the Department has developed a course system for surgical skills training that provides continuous practice for students, while at the same time develops the gradual development of surgical skills on the basis of constant objective evaluation.

Following the joint development of the Department of Surgical Research and Techniques, the UP 3D Printing and Visualization Center and a startup company, an innovative method (Youranastomosis project) has been created that allows general medicine students to practice in an easily accessible way, place and time. There is an opportunity for more practical, theoretical training classes, and the scalability of teaching work is also better realized.

The method was introduced after the suspension of traditional practical education as part of the Surgical Skill 1 course. The theoretical curriculum is available in E-learning, which is summarized in a traditional webinar format, then comes the practical part. To implement the practice, the company provided the course participants with a box containing all the necessary tools. In order to master the successful blood vessel suturing technique, students have to connect to an online platform that broadcasts the practical part using the cell phone’s camera.

Online access allows for the direct transmission of instructions, and thus it is possible to improve the blood vessel suturing technique with immediate feedback. After that, the course participants have to return the prepared blood vessel sutures to the company, for which they also get an objective, detailed analysis online. In this way, they have a result that anticipates how a given section of the blood vessel would behave in the body, thus reducing the complications arising from surgeries. This innovative solution helps to provide course participants with a clear and individual description of their surgical technique.

Future developments are aimed at introducing additional manual skills based on a similar concept.

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