Mental training: a tool needed for surgeons

Abstract

The success of a surgery depends on the surgical and academic competencies of the surgeon, on the control of the surgical environment variables (stress and uncertainty) and advanced cognitive abilities that allow integrating all this things and impact on the result. The cognitive training techniques of athletes and musicians have been used by surgeons to improve their surgical performance, given the similar nature of their activity, technically demanding, with high levels of stress and a permanent demand for positive results. One of these strategies is the Mental or Cognitive Training (MT) that consists in the accomplishment of the surgical act in the mind prior to the surgery, without the necessity of the physical movement. Its effectiveness in the surgical performance has allowed to verify that the non-technical abilities play an important role in the professional formation. That is, the surgeon’s effectiveness lies in his surgical skill coupled with his mental dexterity, and is directly related to the integrative capacity of these two variables. The purpose of this review is to generate a conceptual framework of MT as an improvement strategy for the surgeon’s performance, considering his methodology and potential benefits for the surgeon.

Keywords

• Mental Training
• Surgeons
• Surgical Performance