This article investigated the clinical effect of the laparoscopic inguinal hernia technical training course.

A retrospective cross-sectional studyin was conducted on 64 trainees who participated in the inguinal hernia endoscopy technical training, which was held by the Department of Gastrointestinal Surgery and Hernia and Abdominal Wall Surgery in the Sixth Affiliated Hospital of Sun Yat-Sen University from August 20 to 24, 2018. The duration of laparoscopic hernia repair was 0~6 (average operative time 2.1±1.6) years. We distributed questionnaires to trainees before, at the end of and 3~6 months after the training. The main contents of the questionnaire include their feedbacks on the training course, and also their surgery performance before and 3 to 6 months after the training. We analyzed the survey results based on Kirkpatrick's four-level training evaluation model. The inguinal hernia endoscopy technical training includes basic skills training on endoscopy, lectures on inguinal hernia surgery theories, and surgery demonstrations.

64.5% of the trainees were satisfied with the training course. 3 months after the training, we distributed 64 questionnaires and 39 were recovered. The response rate was 39/64 (60.9%). According to these respondents, twenty-three trainees have already had TAPP experience; ten trainees have had TEP experience; six trainees were beginners. Trainees with TAPP experience improved the average confidence score in each step of TAPP from (3.23±0.94) points before training to (3.73±0.68) points after training (P<0.05). Trainees with TEP experience increased the average confidence score in each step of TEP from (2.99±0.84) to (3.76±0.58) points (P<0.05). Take the primary unilateral inguinal hernia as an example, the operative time of TAPP decreased from 97.6 minutes before training to 76.3 minutes after training, and the operative time of TEP decreased from 102.0 to 76.5 minutes (P<0.05). The operative blood loss of TAPP decreased from 13.9 ml before training to 7.7 ml after training. The operative blood loss of TEP decreased from 17.0 ml to 8.4 ml (P<0.05). This indicated that the surgical performance of trainees improved significantly. Four of the six beginners have started TAPP, but two beginners haven't started TAPP or TEP yet.

It is extremely important to take the standardized training course for laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair before performing the surgery. The surgery performance can be significantly improve by taking the laparoscopic inguinal hernia technical training course.