Arthroscopic Skills Acquisition Tools: An Online Simulator for Arthroscopy Training

To evaluate correlations between objective performances measured by a new online arthroscopic skills acquisition tool (ASAT, in which "shape match" with inverted controls requires lifting shapes and releasing them into their corresponding silhouettes) and a validated virtual reality (VR) shoulder arthroscopy simulator (Insight Arthro VR; GMV, Madrid, Spain).

Forty-nine medical students familiarized themselves with 5 ASATs. They were then assessed using a sixth ASAT (shape match with inverted controls) and 4 VR tasks (operating room, visualize, locate and palpate, and pendulum) on the VR simulator. Correlations were assessed between 11 ASAT measures and 15 VR measures using Pearson correlation coefficients.

Time taken and delta distance (actual distance minus minimum distance traveled) were the most frequent and correlated ASAT measures. Time taken correlated with the VR locate-and-palpate time (r = 0.596, P < .001), visualize time (r = 0.381, P = .007), and pendulum time (r = 0.646, P < .001), whereas delta distance correlated with the locate-and-palpate camera distance (r = 0.667, P < .001), instrument distance (r = 0.664, P < .001), visualize distance (r = 0.4, P = .004), pendulum camera distance (r = 0.538, P < .001), and instrument distance (r = 0.539, P < .001).

There were significant correlations between performance measures on the ASAT and a validated arthroscopic VR simulator.

Arthroscopic simulators are available but are limited by their high cost and availability. ASATs may overcome these limitations by using widely available Internet-based software and basic input devices.