A Mobile-Based Surgical Simulation Application: A Comparative Analysis of Efficacy Using a Carpal Tunnel...

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Simulation
• Virtual Reality in Medicine

Background:

• Surgical simulation is increasingly vital in medical training.
• The TouchSurgery application offers interactive virtual reality tutorials for surgical procedures.
• This study evaluates the efficacy of this app against traditional teaching methods.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare the effectiveness of the TouchSurgery app versus traditional modalities for learning carpal tunnel release surgery.
• To assess if app users demonstrate a higher understanding of surgical steps.
• To evaluate user satisfaction with the surgical simulation app.

Main Methods:

• 100 medical students were divided into two groups: a control group (n=50) using video lectures and a study group (n=50) using the TouchSurgery app.
• Both groups received identical content on carpal tunnel release surgery.
• Outcome measures included test scores and user satisfaction ratings.

Main Results:

• The study group using the app achieved significantly higher test scores (89.3%) compared to the control group (75.6%).
• App users reported very high satisfaction (4.8/5) with content validity, graphics, ease of use, and surgical preparation usefulness.
• The app demonstrated superior efficacy in knowledge transfer for surgical procedures.

Conclusions:

• The TouchSurgery app is an effective tool for medical students to learn surgical procedures, outperforming traditional methods.
• Virtual reality surgical simulation shows promise for educating trainees on new procedures.
• Findings support integrating surgical simulation apps into medical curricula for enhanced procedural learning.