What are the Top Research Priorities in Surgical Simulation and How Can They Be Best Addressed? Results From a Multidisciplinary Consensus Conference

Objectives To define the top priorities in simulation-based surgical education where additional research would have the highest potential to advance the field and develop proposals that would address the identified research priorities. Summary and background data Simulation has become integral part of surgical training but there are a number of outstanding questions that have slowed advances in this field. Methods The Delphi methodology was used to define the top priorities in simulation-based surgical education. A research summit was held with multiple stakeholders under the auspices of the American College of Surgeons Division of Education to develop proposals to address these priorities. Results Consensus was achieved after the first round of voting on the following three most important topics: 1) impact of simulation training on patient safety and outcomes, 2) the value proposition of simulation, and 3) the use of simulation for physician certification and credentialing. Knowledge gaps, challenges and opportunities, and research questions to address these topics were defined by summit participants. Conclusions The top 3 priorities in surgical simulation research were defined and project outlines were developed for impactful projects on these topics. Successful completion of such projects is expected to advance the field of simulation-based surgical education.