Can virtual really become reality?

Skills in laparoscopic surgery can be improved by using proficiency based virtual reality simulator training, new research shows. Published in the BMJ online, the study randomly assigned 24 junior registrars to seven hours on either a simulator or traditional training. When the registrars performed their first laparoscopic procedure on a patient under supervision, the virtual trainees performed to the level of intermediately experienced laparoscopists, whereas the control group performed at the novice level and took twice as long to complete the procedure. The Danish researchers conclude that training in proficiency based skills should be incorporated in a comprehensive surgical training and assessment curriculum for all residents before they operate on real patients. However, in an accompanying editorial Roger Kneebone, reader in surgical education, and Rajesh Aggarwal, clinical lecturer in surgery from the Imperial College, London, urged caution when interpreting the study’s findings. Firstly, they wrote, the study investigated manipulative surgical skills, which are part of a wider set of skills that are fundamental to safe practice, such as communication, decision making, judgment, and leadership....