OBJECTIVE:

To evaluate the differences in the outcomes of the exercises of the basic motor skills module of the Simbionix LAP Mentor simulator between a group of gynecology residents and another group of already graduated specialists.

MATERIALS AND METHODS:

Observational, prospective, longitudinal and comparative study carried out from December 2019 to January 2020 at the Hospital Español de México. Gynecology residents and specialists in the same branch with diverse experience in laparoscopic surgery were selected. The exercises of the basic motor skills module of a virtual reality system were evaluated with a high-fidelity simulation training program. The Student's t test was applied for variables with normal distribution and the Mann-Whitney U test for variables that did not meet the normality criterion.

RESULTS:

Thirty-one participants were included: the specialist group (n = 19) and the resident group (n = 12). Significant differences between residents and specialists were found in exercise 3-eye-hand coordination (4.45 sec, 95%CI: 0.167-8.73; p < 0.05) and in exercise 5-pulling and stapling of leaking hoses (29.58 sec, 95%CI: -42.99 -14.00; p < 0.001), in favor of the specialist group. In exercise 7-cutting and exercise 8-fulguration there were no significant differences between one group and the other.

CONCLUSIONS:

The Simbionix LAP Mentor virtual reality simulator detects differences between groups of obstetrician-gynecologists with different experience in minimally invasive gynecologic surgery and residents of the specialty.

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