A Pilot Study of Video Game Usage and Laparoscopic Skills

Abstract

Study Objective: To determine if active video game use impacts laparoscopic surgical skills. Design: Randomized, single-blinded, placebo-controlled trial. Setting: Montefiore Institute for Minimally Invasive Surgery. Patients: 19 medical students and Montefiore staff. Intervention: All participants completed an initial demographic survey. Participants were then randomized to either a control group or to a group who would receive Sony Portable Playstations (PSP TM). Participants were then videotaped while performing three laparoscopic training exercises. Their performances were scored by blinded assessors. For the following two weeks, the control arm was asked to play board games. Those in the PSP TM arm were asked to play two video games. Participants in both arms were asked to keep a game journal. All participants returned in two weeks, were videotaped performing the same three laparoscopic training modules, and were again scored on the same criteria by blinded assessors. Measurements and Main Results: There were no statistically significant demographic differences between the two groups. Improvements in the time needed to complete an exercise were noted in both study arms. However, those without PSP's improved their average completion time by 21.5% while those in the PSP arm improved by 30.2% on average. A reduction in errors was also noted in both arms. However, those without PSP's reduced their average error rate by only 5.6% versus the PSP group's 33.6% average reduction. Additionally, trend lines showed that as participants played more video games, the greater their improvements. Conclusion: This preliminary data suggests that active videogame usage may improve laparoscopic skills, but more data is needed for an adequately powered study. In the future, playing video games may be a feasible method of improving the surgical skills of novice laparoscopic surgeons.