A systematic review of simulators for kidney transplantation surgical training.
Kassir, J., et al.Transplant Rev (Orlando). 2025 Dec;39(4):100967.
Aims
The aim of this review was to identify and summarise the available literature on kidney transplant simulators used in surgical training.
Interventions
Five databases were searched: PubMed, Embase, Clinical Trials, Cochrane Library, and Google Scholar. Two independent reviewers selected studies and extracted data. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was used to assess the quality of the included studies.
Participants
8 studies were included in the review.
Outcomes
The main outcomes of interest were model composition, internal and external validity assessment of simulators, realism, main study outcomes, cost and conflicts of interest.
Follow-up
N/A
CET Conclusions
Simulation-based training has increasingly been employed in surgical education. The efficacy of various modalities has been demonstrated by a validated framework which assesses outcomes by measures of realism, efficacy as a teaching tool and ability to predict participants’ performance in real-world conditions. This systematic review synthesised the available literature assessing these outcomes for simulators of kidney transplantation. 8 studies were included in the review, most of which were descriptive and did not report on educational outcomes. None of the studies used comparative controls, and of the few that measured outcomes, none used standardised measures allowing analysis of results. 3D printing was used in 6 of the studies, with combinations of 3D printing and human vessels were used in 2 studies. The authors conclude that the literature assessing the efficacy of simulator modalities for kidney transplantation is limited and highlight that the time pressure associated with vascular anastomosis necessitate improved strategies for training in kidney transplantation.
Trial registration
PROSPERO - CRD420251036540