SlingVR: A Virtual Reality Surgical Training System for Haptic-based "Blind" Surgical Procedures

Area of Science:

• Surgical training and simulation
• Virtual reality in medicine
• Haptic feedback systems

Background:

• Traditional training for blind procedures lacks realism and poses risks.
• Existing simulation trainers struggle with realistic haptic feedback and performance data.
• SlingVR™ aims to address these limitations in surgical education.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the development and usability evaluation of the SlingVR™ Surgical Training System.
• To assess the system's effectiveness for training blind procedures like the midurethral sling.
• To compare virtual reality simulation training with traditional methods.

Main Methods:

• A multi-disciplinary team developed the SlingVR™ prototype.
• Cognitive task analysis informed training design and system fidelity.
• Expert surgeons and novices evaluated the system through usability surveys and interviews.

Main Results:

• Six themes emerged from expert feedback, including cognitive improvement, system feedback, and realism.
• Novices rated the training highly effective (4.44/5), usable (4.49/5), and moderately high fidelity (4.06/5).
• The system demonstrated high visual and haptic realism, increasing novice confidence by 82%.

Conclusions:

• SlingVR™ provides an innovative and valuable training method for blind surgeries.
• The system is easy to use, visually and tactically realistic, and effective for novices.
• This VR haptic trainer offers a safe and realistic alternative to cadaver or patient practice.