Skin surgery training: a literature review of methods and their efficacy

Abstract

Skin surgery ranges from small biopsies to Mohs micrographic surgery and excisions necessitating complex skin flap design or grafting. For all dermatology doctors in training there is a need to acquire competence to perform skin surgery safely, in an appropriate time frame, and with minimal complication rates. There exist a range of different methods, with varying reliance upon advancing technology, to teach skin surgery and to refine surgical skills before procedures are performed on patients. We searched PubMed, MEDLINE, and SCOPUS databases to identify all papers relevant to postgraduate dermatology skin surgery teaching and training published in the last 10 years in English. This yielded 440 results, for which all abstracts were screened. Manuscripts related to aesthetic surgery training, such as robotic hair transplantation training are excluded.