To evaluate the educational validity of two bench-top simulators for Transurethral Resection of the Prostate (TURP) and Transurethral Resection of Bladder Tumor (TURB), focusing on their realism, ergonomics, and relevance for structured endourology training.
Fourteen expert endourologists from multiple European centers assessed both simulators during the European Association of Urology Residents Education Programme (EUREP) 2025. Face validity and content validity were evaluated using 4-point Likert questionnaires. Item-level (I-CVI) and scale-level (S-CVI/Ave) content validity indices were calculated for all items and adjusted for core procedural skills.
Experts rated both simulators highly for anatomical realism, tissue handling, and overall utility (mean scores > 3.5/4). The TURP simulator achieved an adjusted S-CVI/Ave of 0.92 and the TURB simulator 0.97, indicating excellent consensus on their educational adequacy for key procedural steps. Non-modeled features such as bleeding, obturator reflex, and energy modulation received low ratings, reflecting inherent limitations of bench-top simulation. Both models were considered effective for practicing instrument handling and resection depth control in a risk-free, standardized environment.
The TURP and TURB simulators demonstrated strong face and content validity for core resection training. Their modular, non-biological, and reproducible design supports safe, structured skill acquisition and competency assessment in endourology curricula, offering a practical bridge between theoretical learning and clinical performance.
World journal of urology. 2026 May 04*** epublish ***
Tarik Emre Sener, Tiago Ribeiro de Oliveira, Engin Denizhan Demirkiran, Davide Perri, Sergio Pereira, Juan Pablo Caballero, Luis Osorio, Ioannis Goumas Kartalas, Rodrigo Ramos, Afonso Sousa Castro, Daniel Oliveira Reis, Marco Paciotti, Paramananthan Mariappan, Pietro Diana, Laurian Dragos, Domenico Veneziano, Chandra Shekhar Biyani, Bhaskar Somani, Evangelos Liatsikos
Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Marmara University, Marmara Üniversitesi Pendik Eğitim Ve Araştırma Hastanesi, Üroloji Anabilim Dalı, 4. Kat. Fevzi Çakmak Mah, Pendik, 34890, Istanbul, Turkey. ., Department of Urology, Armed Forces Hospital, Lisbon, Portugal., Department of Urology, School of Medicine, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Zonguldak, Türkiye., Department of Urology, Azienda Socio Sanitaria Territoriale Lariana, Como, Italy., Department of Urology, Lisbon Medical Academic Centre, Lisbon, Portugal., Department of Urology, University General Hospital, Alicante, Spain., Department of Urology, Lusíadas Porto Hospital, Porto, Portugal., Department of Urology, Istituto Clinico Beato Matteo, Vigevano, Italy., Department of Urology, Portuguese Institute of Oncology Lisboa, Lisbon, Portugal., Department of Urology, IRCCS Humanitas Research Hospital Rozzano, Milan, Italy., Department of Urology, Edinburgh Bladder Cancer Surgery, Western General Hospital, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK., Department of Urology, Fundacio Puigvert, Barcelona, Spain., Department of Urology, Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, Cambridge, UK., Department of Urology, Bronxcare Health System, New York, USA., Department of Urology, St James's University Hospital, Leeds, UK., Department of Urology, University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, Southampton, UK., Department of Urology, University Hospital Patras, Patras, Greece.