The use of simulation in minimally invasive cardiac surgery (MICS) has been rising over the last decade. In view of increasing patient demand for less invasive surgery, it is important that cardiovascular surgeons remain familiar with the most widely used approaches to surgery [7]. Training in cardiac surgery using simulation has demonstrated a substantial influence on the clinical knowledge, surgical skills (including accuracy, timing, and dexterity), and confidence of trainees in addressing cardiac surgical scenarios, in regardless both junior and senior levels [8].
Studies have shown that surgeons who have undergone additional simulation training improve significantly in terms of surgical skill [9]. However, there are still many concerns regarding effectiveness and cost-effectiveness; Simulators have proven to be effective in cost-effectively teaching complex laparoscopic skills with the current surgical training, as discussed in the paper [10].
Simulation based training program has been proven to improve not only performance skills but also self confidence among trainees [11]. The self-confidence scale can be used to identify trainees who may benefit from additional training and support and to assess the effectiveness of training programmes [1].
In this study, we developed a self-confidence scale for surgeons to evaluate their confidence in using simulation and compared surgical trainees and consultants. The results showed that both groups had moderate self-confidence in using simulation to develop minimally invasive cardiac surgery skills, but this was significantly higher among consultants compared to trainees. However, there were no differences between the two groups in their perception of the importance of using simulation in teaching surgical skills. This is consistent with previous studies that have found that surgeons believe that the use of technology can improve skill acquisition and lead to better outcomes [12].
Although this study was conducted in a single institution, similar findings may be obtained in other institutions, as many hospitals use simulators to teach skills related to minimally invasive cardiac surgery.
However, this study is only conducted in a small sample size. Therefore, it is recommended that further studies with larger samples be conducted to establish if there are differences between these two groups with respect to their level of confidence in the training of MIS simulation tools for cardiac surgery.
To date, there has been no published work exploring whether surgeons’ perceptions about the importance of using simulators differ according to speciality or experience levels.
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