Surgeon-specific factors in the acquisition of laparoscopic surgical skills

Background: Training and experience vary widely among surgeons performing laparoscopic surgery (LS). Visual perceptual demands are greater for LS than for traditional surgery, necessitating greater understanding of surgeon variables in skill acquisition and performance. Methods: During an LS skills course incorporating didactic and simulator-based instruction, 94 surgeons completed an experience/demographic questionnaire, a test of course-specific knowledge acquisition, 10 trials of three dexterity drills, 15 suturing trials using course-specific methods, and 3 standardized tests of visual perception. Results: Age, years posttraining, and visual perception correlated significantly with time required to complete drills and suturing trials (Pearson correlations ranged from r = 0.21, P <0.05, to r = 0.51, P <0.001) even after statistically controlling for variations in knowledge acquisition, which correlated (r = 0.30, P <0.01) with suturing speed. Conclusions: Surgeon variables play a significant role in speed of acquisition and performance of LS skills. Further studies need to elucidate their role in quality of LS performance.