Is Virtual Reality Surgical Training the New Game Changer? Our Experience in Training Novice Orthopedic Residents in Taiwan

Abstract

Background: Developing skilled and proficient surgeons is a formidable task in contemporary medical education. Nonetheless, conventional training techniques in the operating room have sparked significant concerns about patient safety in recent times. Objectives: This study aims to evaluate the effectiveness of virtual reality arthroscopy as an objective performance evaluation system in surgical training, with the goal of improving patient safety. Materials and Methods: We enrolled 35 orthopedic residents from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between 2021 and 2022 to test the VirtaMed AG (Zurich) ArthroS™ arthroscopy simulator system. Participants tested various programs including meniscectomy, guided diagnostic of the knee joint, and lesion diagnostic of the knee joint. Results: There was a strong correlation between the camera path length and the scratch of femoral cartilage (r = 0.852) and tibial cartilage (r = 0.856) in meniscectomy. However, there was no significant difference in procedure time, camera path length, and scratch of femoral and tibial cartilage between the junior and senior residents. With repeated practice, we observed an improvement in total camera path length and scratch of femoral cartilage. Conclusions: A longer camera path length increases the chance of tissue damage, so novice surgeons should seek help if they encounter difficulties identifying structures. Arthroscopic manipulation skills were found to be related to training experience, rather than the seniority of residents. Through practice, camera manipulation skills improved, leading to increased patient safety by reducing tissue damage. The virtual reality arthroscopy simulator can provide an objective assessment of residents’ performance. The simulator enables novice orthopedic residents to develop better basic procedural skills, enhance patient safety, and reduce cartilage damage during arthroscopic surgery.

Keywords

• arthroscopy skill
• knee arthroscope
• surgical education
• surgical training
• virtual reality