Cleveland, OH, USA: Ten new validation studies were published during 2007 on the Simbionix Mentor series of training simulators, bringing the total number of studies published to 65. "This year we have seen a considerable increase in interest from US and European institutes" said Gary Zamler, Simbionix' CEO.
"Some of the world's most highly respected academic medical institutions and teaching hospitals have completed studies measuring the efficacy of using Simbionix Mentor simulation products."
The studies published this year include two new studies on the GI Mentor, two on the URO/PERC platform, three on the LAP Mentor and three on the ANGIO Mentor.
Some of the studies were carried out at multiple sites, something that typically increases the reliability of study results.
The institutes which conducted studies include the University of Texas, Catharina Hospital of the Netherlands, the British Imperial College of London and the Graduate School of Medical Sciences in the Kyushu University of Fukuoka, the first study by a Japanese institute to date.
The study carried out by experts at Catherina Hospital's Department of Gastroenterology concluded that the GI Mentor II simulator offered a convincing, realistic representation of colonoscopy that can discriminate between different levels of colonoscopy expertise.
As a result, the product was granted both construct validity and expert validity.
The study carried out by Kyushu University of Fukuoka concluded that the LAP Mentor was able to differentiate between subjects with different laparoscopic experience.
One of the key value points for medical institutions to use Simbionix products is the ability to offer clinicians and medical students the required hands-on surgical experience at zero patient risk.
Validation studies are critical to prove the efficacy of the simulation experience, so that institutions can rely on simulators to advance clinician training and improve patient safety.
Yael Friedman Ph.D., Simbionix Chief Scientist over Medical Projects noted "We are happy to see that all of the institutes which have validated our products continue to demonstrate the effectiveness and advantage of using our Mentor products for surgical training."