The following is a summary of “Collaborative Team Training in Virtual Reality is Superior to Individual Learning For Performing Complex Open Surgery,” published in the December 2023 issue of Surgery by Edwards, et al.
For a study, researchers sought to determine if full multiplayer Virtual Reality (iVR) training was better than single-player training for learning technical and nontechnical skills needed for learning complex surgery. Better professional performance and clinical results are linked to better teamwork in the operating room (OR). iVR can easily train OR staff one-on-one, but iVR team training has yet to be looked into. Forty people were randomly assigned to either individual or team iVR training. People trained individually worked with virtual avatars, while teams trained in real life with two people.
Over 6 weeks, both groups had 5 iVR training lessons. After that, they did a real-life test where they did an anterior approach total hip joint surgery on a realistic model using real tools in a virtual operating room. Teams acted together, and people who had been trained separately were paired up at random. Two people who were not involved in the study graded the videos and wrote down the results for the “Non-Operative Technical Skills for Surgeons, Oxford Non-technical Skills II, and Scrub Practitioners’ List of Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills.” The length of the process and the number of technical mistakes were secondary results.
Teams did better on the real-world test of nontechnical skills than individuals who had been trained (Non-Operative Technical Skills for Surgeons: 13.1±1.5 vs 10.6±1.6, P = 0.002, Non-TECHnical Skills II score: 51.7± 5.5 vs 42.3± 5.6, P = 0.001, and Scrub Practitioners’ List of Intraoperative Non-Technical Skills: 10 ± 1.2 vs 7.9 ± 1.6, P = 0.004). They finished the test 33% faster (28.2 minutes ± 5.5 vs. 41.8 minutes ± 8.9, P < 0.001) and made less than half as many mistakes (10.4 minutes ± 6.1 vs. 22.6 minutes ± 5.4, P < 0.001). In conclusion, training with other people in a multiplayer setting speeds up surgery, reduces technical mistakes, and improves non-technical skills.
