Background: Technical competence is the bedrock of surgery, yet it has only recently been viewed as a valid area for either critical evaluation or formal teaching.
Methods: This review examines the teaching of surgical skills. The core is derived from a literature search of the Medline computer database.
Results and conclusion: The impetus for surgical change has generally related to the introduction of new technology. Advances initially allowed for open operation within the main body cavities; more recently minimal access surgery has appeared. The latter was introduced in an inappropriate manner, which has led to the evolution of teaching of technical skills away from an apprenticeship-based activity towards more formal skill-based training programmes. There is now a need for a solid theoretical base for the teaching of manual skills that accommodates concepts of surgical competence.