Prior video game exposure does not enhance robotic surgical performance.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Skills Training
• Robotic Surgery

Background:

• Previous studies linked video game experience to improved laparoscopic surgical skills.
• The impact of video game experience on robotic surgical skill acquisition remains largely unexplored.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the relationship between prior video game experience and the learning curve for robotic surgical skills.
• To determine if video game habits influence the acquisition of proficiency with the da Vinci surgical robot.

Main Methods:

• 242 preclinical medical students completed video game exposure questionnaires.
• A subset of students with extreme video game exposure were further assessed for other activities (sports, music, crafts).
• Participants practiced robotic suturing on the da Vinci system, with performance metrics recorded by blinded observers.

Main Results:

• Video game players performed worse in robotic suturing tasks compared to non-players.
• Extensive experience with video games (over 15,000 hours) showed an inverse correlation with robotic suturing ability.
• Participants with extensive sports or musical instrument experience demonstrated fewer errors and improved knot-tying performance.

Conclusions:

• Extensive video game exposure appears detrimental to learning robotic suturing skills.
• Athletic and musical backgrounds may correlate with a faster acquisition of advanced robotic surgical skills.
• Future training programs could consider leveraging non-gaming related experiences for surgical skill development.