Endovascular training with animals versus virtual reality systems: an economic analysis

Area of Science:

• Medical Education Technology
• Surgical Skills Simulation
• Health Economics

Background:

• Endovascular skills training is crucial for interventional procedures.
• Traditional animal laboratory training presents significant cost and ethical considerations.
• The development of virtual reality (VR) simulators offers a potential alternative for skills acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To conduct a comparative financial analysis of virtual reality (VR) laboratory versus animal laboratory training for endovascular skills.
• To determine the cost-effectiveness of VR simulation in medical training.

Main Methods:

• A financial analysis was performed using cost data from a previous experiment.
• Costs associated with the Procedicus Vascular Interventional System Trainer (VR) were compared to animal laboratory rental costs.
• National Institutes of Health (NIH) guidelines were followed for the cost assessment.

Main Results:

• Virtual reality (VR) laboratory training cost $3,434 per trainee, compared to $4,634 for animal laboratory training, a 0.74 cost ratio favoring VR.
• Exclusive use of VR simulation projected first-year national savings of $185,026 and 5-year savings of $1,013,238.
• Renting VR simulator equipment further reduced costs to $1,076 per trainee, with a cost ratio of 0.23 favoring VR.

Conclusions:

• Virtual reality (VR) training demonstrates a lower direct cost compared to live animal training for endovascular skills.
• While evidence on skill transferability is emerging, pedagogical benefits support the increasing importance of VR simulation.
• VR laboratory training presents a financially viable and potentially more economical alternative for medical skills development.