"Take-home" box trainers are an effective alternative to virtual reality simulators

Area of Science:

• Surgical Education
• Medical Simulation
• Laparoscopic Surgery Training

Background:

• Virtual reality simulators (VRSs) enhance surgical performance but are costly and have limited accessibility.
• Box trainers (BT) are affordable and accessible anytime, anywhere, presenting a potential alternative for practice.
• This study evaluated the efficacy of take-home BTs compared to VRS for surgical trainees.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess the effectiveness of inexpensive, portable box trainers (BT) as an alternative to virtual reality simulators (VRS) for surgical skills acquisition.
• To compare the impact of BT practice versus VRS practice on laparoscopic surgical performance metrics.

Main Methods:

• Twenty-five surgical trainees were randomized into two groups: one practicing on take-home BTs and the other on VRS.
• Participants underwent baseline and post-training assessments of simulated laparoscopic cholecystectomies on both VRS and BT.
• Performance was evaluated using VRS metrics (e.g., total time, instrument movements) and expert video assessment (Global Operative Assessment of Laparoscopic Skills [GOALS] score).

Main Results:

• The BT group demonstrated significant improvements across all VRS metrics and in the efficiency category of the GOALS score.
• The VRS group showed improvement only in total time; no significant GOALS score improvements were observed.
• Improvements in VRS metrics were significantly greater in the BT group compared to the VRS group.

Conclusions:

• Basic take-home box trainers are a suitable and effective alternative to virtual reality simulators for improving surgical skills.
• The accessibility and cost-effectiveness of BTs make them a valuable tool for surgical trainees.
• Further research can explore integrating BTs into standardized surgical training curricula.