Cadaver Surgical Training at Tohoku University

Abstract

Tohoku University has been conducting Cadaver Surgical Training (CST) since 2013 as a project subsidized by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, and a total of 328 people have participated in the program to date. One feature of the university's CST program is that participants can participate in multiple areas of training, such as otology, rhinology and head and neck, at a single workshop. We also provide practical training in voice and swallowing. In a survey of participants' understanding of surgical procedures conducted after CST, 78% of participants showed an increase in understanding after the CST, and 83% maintained this level of understanding after six months. CST enables mastery of the same techniques as those used in actual surgery and results in a better understanding of anatomy. These factors may have contributed to the training program's strong results. With growing social concern about medical safety, preclinical training is becoming increasingly important, and the need for CST is expected to increase further.