Assessing Immersive Virtual Reality as Learning Tool for Surgical Trainees

Area of Science:

• Medical Education
• Virtual Reality in Surgery
• Surgical Skills Training

Background:

• Consumer-level virtual reality (VR) technology presents new opportunities for surgical education.
• Evaluating immersive VR (iVR) against traditional 2D training videos is crucial for understanding its efficacy.

Purpose of the Study:

• To compare immersive VR (iVR) with standard 2D videos for surgical training.
• To assess the impact of iVR on procedure knowledge, confidence, and hands-on performance.
• To evaluate user experience with iVR in a procedural training context.

Main Methods:

• Participants received baseline knowledge and confidence assessments for central venous catheter insertion.
• Trainees were randomized into three groups: standard 2D video, desktop VR, and immersive VR (iVR).
• Post-intervention assessments included knowledge, confidence, and a scored hands-on simulation, with subjective VR experience feedback.

Main Results:

• Immersive VR was found to be more engaging than 2D video without negatively affecting knowledge or confidence.
• A trend towards significantly higher performance in hands-on simulations was observed with iVR training (P=.054).
• Forty-three participants completed the study, providing data on knowledge, confidence, and simulation performance.

Conclusions:

• Immersive VR (iVR) serves as a valuable adjunct for procedural training, demonstrating good user tolerance and engagement.
• iVR may enhance hands-on skills acquisition without compromising knowledge or confidence.
• Further large-scale studies are necessary to fully validate the benefits of iVR in surgical education.