Impact of a novel at-home, scope handle-based game controller on novice endoscopists

Endoscopy training is an essential component of gastroenterology fellowship programs. Skill assessment has transitioned from a volume-based model to a competency-based framework. However, challenges such as limited supervising faculty availability, lack of standardized evaluations, and patient safety concerns hinder training. Simulation-based training has shown promise in enhancing endoscopic skills, but its adoption is restricted by cost and other practical constraints. To address these barriers, we developed ScopeQuest (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minn, USA), a novel, affordable, at-home, gaming-based endoscopy training device aimed at improving psychomotor skills in endoscopy trainees. This study aims to assess the feasibility and impact of the handheld ScopeQuest on endoscope manipulation skills.

A single-arm pretest-post-test pilot study was conducted with medical trainees with no prior endoscopy experience. Participants were trained with the ScopeQuest. Pretraining and post-training endoscopic skill assessments were conducted. Participant confidence, perceived skill improvement, and satisfaction were evaluated using post-training surveys.

Ten participants (mean [standard deviation]) age 26 [1.25] years; 50% female) trained for an average (standard deviation) of 1080.5 (346.3) seconds. Mean (standard deviation) task completion time improved from 448.7 (218.85) to 243.6 (92.65) seconds (P = .509). Subjective assessments indicated increased confidence. Perceived technical skill improvement was noted by 87.5% of participants. Overall satisfaction was reported by 62.5% of participants.

An at-home, gaming-based, handheld endoscope simulator is a feasible adjunct to traditional endoscopy training. Although preliminary results suggest improvements in task efficiency and trainee confidence, larger multicenter studies are needed to confirm its effectiveness and assess skill retention and translation to real-life clinical skill development.