Groundbreaking metric-based simulator training for surgeons for increased skill in endovascular procedures

Purpose and goal

A validated system for training of endovascular treatment of stroke has been developed as part of the project. It has been demonstrated that the product can distinguish between proficient and non-proficient physicians, which is an important requirement for certification this has also been one of the main purposes of the project. The competency-based training methodology implemented has earlier been proven to be very efficient and the preliminary result from the project has confirmed this.

Expected results and effects

As a direct result of the project, in addition to the new technology that has been developed, two patent applications have been initiated and several scientific reports in influential journals are in the process of publication. We’ve also seen that the view on simulator-based training is changing we can see the beginning of a paradigm shift. From being just an interesting piece of high-tech equipment, a validated medical simulator is now much more accepted, and the discussion is no longer if it can be used but rather how it can be implemented into the daily practice.

Planned approach and implementation

The project has been quite different from previous project, distinguished by its relatively large share of external experts. The challenge has mainly been to organize the interaction with the external experts. Amongst other things, we carried out a Delphi-panel, where 21 experts from 7 different European nations unanimously accepted the proposal for a training protocol presented by the project team this has also been the very core of the project and this was a huge success. The work has been very exciting and instructive, and we will definitely run similar projects in the future.