BACKGROUND: To our knowledge, there is currently no validated educational model to evaluate and teach basic arthroscopic skills that is widely accessible to orthopaedic residency training programs. The primary objective was to design and to validate a surgical simulation model by demonstrating that subjects with increasing level of training perform better on basic arthroscopic simulation tasks. The secondary objective was to evaluate inter-rater and intra-rater reliability of the model.
METHODS: Prospectively recruited participants were divided by level of training into four groups. Subjects performed six basic arthroscopic tasks using a box model: (1) probing, (2) grasping, (3) tissue resection, (4) shaving, (5) tissue liberation and suture-passing, and (6) knot-tying.
