VR robotic surgery: randomized blinded study of the dV-Trainer robotic simulator

Area of Science:

• Urology
• Surgical Education
• Robotic Surgery

Background:

• Robotic surgery is increasingly utilized in pediatric urology.
• Effective training methods are crucial for developing proficiency in robotic surgery.
• Virtual reality (VR) simulators offer a potential solution for standardized robotic surgical training.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the acceptability and validity of a da Vinci robotic virtual reality (VR) simulator.
• To compare the VR simulator's effectiveness against traditional training methods.
• To assess the simulator's ability to differentiate between varying skill levels in robotic surgery.

Main Methods:

• A randomized blinded pilot study was conducted during a pediatric robotic surgery course.
• Participants performed robotic skills tasks on the da Vinci robot and an offline dV-Trainer.
• Demographic and performance data were collected and analyzed.

Main Results:

• The majority of participants found VR simulation useful for learning robotic surgery skills.
• The dV-Trainer was perceived as comparable to dry lab skills stations for robotic training.
• The dV-Trainer demonstrated face, content, and construct validity by discriminating between experts and novices.

Conclusions:

• VR simulation, specifically the dV-Trainer, is an acceptable and valid tool for pediatric robotic surgery training.
• The findings support the integration of VR simulators into surgical education curricula.
• This study provides the first reported acceptability assessment of a VR robotic surgery simulator compared to the da Vinci robot system.