SynthesisSurgical endoscopy2017
A systematic review of low-cost laparoscopic simulators.
Synthesis in Surgical endoscopy, 2017. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 38 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 115 citations in OpenAlex.
- Transfer of open and laparoscopic skills to robotic surgery: a systematic review.Journal of robotic surgery · 2023Pooled it
- SafeChole4all: pilot validation of a novel curriculum for safe laparoscopic cholecystectomy training.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Trial
- Comparison of laparoscopic performance using low-cost laparoscopy simulators versus state-of-the-art simulators: a multi-center prospective, randomized crossover trial.Surgical endoscopy · 2025Trial
- Validation of a novel, low-fidelity virtual reality simulator and an artificial intelligence assessment approach for peg transfer laparoscopic training.Scientific reports · 2024Trial
- Tele-mentoring - a way to expand laparoscopic simulator training for medical students over large distances: a prospective randomized pilot study.BMC medical education · 2023Trial
- Training minimally invasive surgery's basic skills: is expensive always better?Pediatric surgery international · 2021Trial
- Robotic Surgery Improves Technical Performance and Enhances Prefrontal Activation During High Temporal Demand.Annals of biomedical engineering · 2018Trial
- Optimizing the management of laparoscopic equipment in low-resource settings: a SAGES White Paper.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- Development of a simulation-based laparoscopic ventral rectopexy module: skills training for minimally invasive pelvic surgery.Surgical endoscopy · 2026Article
- Advancing laparoscopic surgery in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs): pilot implementation of the Global Laparoscopic Advancement Program (GLAP) with Fundamentals of Laparoscopic Surgery (FLS) certification in Ethiopia.Surgical endoscopy · 2025Article
- Gauging the Optimal Simulator Complexity for Learning Cleft Lip Repair: A Cost-Benefit Analysis.Plastic and reconstructive surgery. Global open · 2025Article
- Short-term educational interventions in surgical training: measuring the knowledge gain among surgeons in Ethiopia.Surgical endoscopy · 2025Article
- Multi-center evaluation of the first, low-cost, open source and totally 3D-printed pediatric laparoscopic trainer.Heliyon · 2024Article
- An At-Home Laparoscopic Curriculum for Junior Residents in Surgery, Obstetrics/Gynecology, and Urology.MedEdPORTAL : the journal of teaching and learning resources · 2024Article
- A novel affordable user interface for robotic surgery training: design, development and usability study.Frontiers in digital health · 2024Article
- Development of laparoscopic skills in skills-naïve trainees using self-directed learning with take-home laparoscopic trainer boxes.Surgery open science · 2023Article
- Virtual fundamentals of laparoscopic surgery (FLS) boot-camp using telesimulation: an educational solution during the COVID-19 pandemic.Surgical endoscopy · 2023Article
- Development and evaluation of a portable and soft 3D-printed cast for laparoscopic choledochojejunostomy model in surgical training.BMC medical education · 2023Article
- Filipino nursing students' use of low-cost simulators during the COVID-19 pandemic: A summative content analysis of YouTube videos.Teaching and learning in nursing : official journal of the National Organization for Assciate Degree Nursing · 2023Article
- Colorectal Surgery Practice, Training, and Research in Low-Resource Settings.Clinics in colon and rectal surgery · 2022Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundOpportunities for surgical skills practice using high-fidelity simulation in the workplace are limited due to cost, time and geographical constraints, and accessibility to junior trainees. An alternative is needed to practise laparoscopic skills at home. Our objective was to undertake a systematic review of low-cost laparoscopic simulators.
methodA systematic review was undertaken according to PRISMA guidelines. MEDLINE/EMBASE was searched for articles between 1990 and 2014. We included articles describing portable and low-cost laparoscopic simulators that were ready-made or suitable for assembly; articles not in English, with inadequate descriptions of the simulator, and costs >£1500 were excluded. Validation, equipment needed, cost, and ease of assembly were examined.
resultsSeventy-three unique simulators were identified (60 non-commercial, 13 commercial); 55 % (33) of non-commercial trainers were subject to at least one type of validation compared with 92 % (12) of commercial trainers. Commercial simulators had better face validation compared with non-commercial. The cost ranged from £3 to £216 for non-commercial and £60 to £1007 for commercial simulators. Key components of simulator construction were identified as abdominal cavity and wall, port site, light source, visualisation, and camera monitor. Laptop computers were prerequisite where direct vision was not used. Non-commercial models commonly utilised retail off-the-shelf components, which allowed reduction in costs and greater ease of construction.
conclusionThe models described provide simple and affordable options for self-assembly, although a significant proportion have not been subject to any validation. Portable simulators may be the most equitable solution to allow regular basic skills practice (e.g. suturing, knot-tying) for junior surgical trainees.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.