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Surgical simulation training: mobile and anywhere

Guilherme N Pena, Meryl Altree, Wendy Babidge and Guy J Maddern
Med J Aust 2014; 200 (3): . || doi: 10.5694/mja13.10736
Published online: 17 February 2014

A mobile unit allows surgical trainees to use state-of-the-art simulation equipment in urban and rural locations

Simulation-based training has gained importance in surgical training worldwide. It allows trainees to learn and consolidate skills without risking patient safety.1,2 Evidence for the educational value of surgical simulation is accumulating rapidly, and several studies have shown that simulator-acquired skills can be successfully transferred to the operating room.3-5 Nonetheless, simulation is still not widely available to Australian surgical trainees. A recent survey showed that 43% of supervisors and 63% of surgical trainee respondents reported having no simulation equipment at their workplace.6


  • 1 Australian Safety and Efficacy Register of New Interventional Procedures — Surgical, Royal Australasian College of Surgeons, Adelaide, SA.
  • 2 Queen Elizabeth Hospital, University of Adelaide, Adelaide, SA.


Correspondence: guy.maddern@adelaide.edu.au

Acknowledgements: 

Acknowledgement: This project was made possible by funding from the Australian Government Department of Health.

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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