Training Surgical Skills under Accredited Education: Our Regional Experience

Computer-based technology has been sufficiently developed in medical training and education. However, as well as in other areas (flight pilots, nuclear energy operators, drivers, etc.) this technology has been included in other educational plans, in medicine it is a pending task yet. We present our work on the introduction of computer-based technology, mainly virtual simulation, into the university teaching plans at University of Las Palmas Medical School, the medicine residency programme and the update of physicians at the four Teaching Hospitals in Canary Islands. Through the realization of virtual simulation courses we have managed to introduce the technology into the health environment as an educational tool. Using commercial haptics devices and customizing and adapting its software, we have developed custom curricula for several medicine specialities.