The Impact of Gender, Videogaming and Music Playing on Robotic Surgery Simulation Performance

Virtual reality simulation is a fundamental adjunct to robotic surgery training. It is not clear if individual performance at the simulator can be affected by predisposing factors such as gender, video gaming, and instrument playing.

Sixty-three volunteering medical students performed five times the same exercise at the DaVinci Simulator, and performance scores were collected for each participant (Overall Score, Time to Complete, Economy of Motion, Penalty Score) along with their demographics. Data were collected and analyzed within an electronic database. The difference (delta) between the highest score obtained in tests 2 to 5 and the score obtained in test 1 was calculated for each of the 4 scores and for each participant.

All participants showed a significant improvement in their scores with practice (deltas were always positive). Median PS was significantly lower in women, but PSdelta was significantly higher in women than in men. Median TC and median PS were significantly lower in non-video game users. No significant difference of performance scores was found between music players and non-music players. Multivariable analysis confirmed that female gender was an independent prognostic variable towards PSdelta, that is, women showed a steeper improvement in their performance.

Repeated simulation improves the performance of surgically naïve medical students. Women and non-video gamers had higher penalty scores, but women tend to improve their skills quickly. As videogaming is much more frequent within the group of men, it is possible that videogaming itself, and not gender, can have a positive effect by enhancing eye-hand coordination.