Cleft Palate Lip Clinical Trial
Official title:
Educational Impact and Development of a Novel Cleft Palate Surgical Simulator: Improvement in Surgical Trainees' Knowledge and Confidence.
Trainees' experience in cleft surgery is limited due to the high-risk nature of the surgery
and centralization of cleft care. Simulations allow trainees to learn complex surgical skills
whilst ensuring patient safety. Existing cleft surgical simulators are over-simplified or
prohibitively expensive. We developed and tested a high-fidelity yet cost-effective simulator
for cleft palate repair.
Skeletal elements were obtained through high-resolution scanning of a pathologic specimen, 3D
printed and then molded in plastic. Soft tissue components were formed through molding layers
of silicone. 26 UK specialty trainees performed a vomerine mucosal flap and intra-velar
veloplasty in a one-hour workshop. Pre- and post-simulation questionnaires assessing cleft
knowledge and surgical confidence were compared for statistical significance.
Background: Trainees' experience in cleft surgery is limited due to the high-risk nature of
the surgery and centralization of cleft care. Simulations allow trainees to learn complex
surgical skills whilst ensuring patient safety. Existing cleft surgical simulators are
over-simplified or prohibitively expensive. We developed and tested a high-fidelity yet
cost-effective simulator for cleft palate repair.
Methods: Skeletal elements were obtained through high-resolution scanning of a pathologic
specimen, 3D printed and then molded in plastic. Soft tissue components were formed through
molding layers of silicone. 26 UK specialty trainees performed a vomerine mucosal flap and
intra-velar veloplasty in a one-hour workshop. Pre- and post-simulation questionnaires
assessing cleft knowledge and surgical confidence were compared for statistical significance.
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