Laparoscopic or Open Surgery: The Educational Benefit to Medical Students
- Resource Type
- Brief Communication
- Authors
- Riddiough, Georgina E.; Stather, Philip; Cheshire, Helen
- Source
- Medical Science Educator. September 2012 22(3):83-85
- Subject
- Laparoscopic surgery
open surgery
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2156-8650
Background:Recent advances in surgery have enabled traditional open procedures to be performed laparoscopically. We carried out a survey in order to determine the impact of this on learning opportunities for students attending theatre.Methods:We designed a nine point survey, completed by fifty medical students from Leicester Medical School on completion of their surgical attachment at a busy district general hospital.Results:Undergraduates feel open procedures are superior over laparoscopic cases when asked specifically about anatomical knowledge gained, teaching delivered and the ability to follow surgical procedures.Conclusion:We conclude that to continue to attract medical students into a surgical career undergraduate teaching ought to reflect current clinical practice. Novel educational techniques which utilize laparoscopy can be an excellent adjunct to traditional teaching methods.