Urologists Around the Region Honed their Clinical Skills and Techniques through Simulation-Based Training
Kidney cancers are the one of the most frequent cancers affecting men aged 60 and above in Singapore. With the rapidly aging population, Urologists today must be well-equipped to manage a range of kidney cancers and treatments.
In March, the SGH Department of Urology conducted the Advance Kidney Cancer and Live Surgery Observation Workshop with support from the SingHealth Duke-NUS Institute of Medical Simulation (SIMS). The workshop trained 16 Urologists and Urology Residents from Singapore and around the region, such as Vietnam, Indonesia, Taiwan, to list a few. The two-day workshop helped participants hone their clinical skills, share knowledge as well as be apprised of the latest techniques and best practices in the surgical management of kidney cancer.
The workshop was divided into two parts, namely:
- Realistic Training with Customised 3D-printed Kidney Models
Participants had hands-on surgical practice on live porcine models and 3D-printed kidney models with vasculature and tumours. These kidney models were customised and developed together with SIMS' industry partners, so that participants could have a more realistic simulation-based training experience. In collaboration with industry partners, participants also had the opportunity to train using the latest laparoscopic surgical equipment and learn advanced hemostatic techniques.
- Learning through Real-life Observations of Complex Cases
The second part of the workshop further enhanced participants' learning experience through observations of real-life cases performed by highly experienced laparoscopic surgeons. Participants also witnessed the latest techniques for partial nephrectomy such as ICG-assisted super-selective clamping and laparoscopic enucleation.
Dr Allen Sim, Course Director of the workshop and Consultant from the Department of Urology, SGH said that SIMS provided great expertise in running the workshop to provide participants with holistic, hands-on learning experiences. Organising Chairman, Dr Kenneth Chen, Associate Consultant from the Department of Urology, SGH agreed, "With strong administrative and logistics support from SIMS, this workshop has proven to be a success over and over again."
Participants felt that the workshop had all the elements of a good training masterclass – engaging lectures, live Operating Theatre surgery observations, and animal wet lab procedures. Dr Syamsu Hudaya, from Fatmawati Jakarata, said, "The workshop covered techniques and taught skills that are clinically relevant to my work in the hospital." He also noted that the live surgery performed by Dr Sim inspired him to further his own surgical skills to improve patient outcomes.
SIMS is committed to delivering quality simulation training on various scales for targeted and diverse groups of healthcare professionals to sharpen their clinical skills towards mastery, pushing frontiers in patient safety.
