Immersive Virtual Reality for Surgical Training: A Systematic Review.

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Surgical Training
• Virtual Reality Technology

Background:

• Immersive virtual reality (iVR) offers accessible, cost-effective surgical skills training.
• Increasing utilization necessitates understanding iVR's impact on skill acquisition.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the literature on iVR's effectiveness for surgical skills acquisition.
• To evaluate iVR's impact on medical students, residents, and staff surgeons.

Main Methods:

• Systematic literature search across major databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Web of Science, PsycInfo) from 2000-2021.
• Independent screening, data extraction, and quality assessment (MERSQI, Cochrane).
• Qualitative synthesis and descriptive statistics of 17 included studies.

Main Results:

• Immersive VR trainees were 18-43% faster in procedural completion (SMD = -0.90).
• Higher post-intervention scores on procedural checklists were observed in VR groups.
• Improved implant placement accuracy was noted in immersive VR-trained participants compared to controls.

Conclusions:

• High-quality studies support immersive VR for surgical training.
• iVR demonstrates improved procedural times, task completion, and accuracy.
• Positive user ratings and cost-effectiveness further support iVR integration.