Assessing skill and learning in surgeons and medical students using a force feedback surgical simulator

Abstract

We have developed an interactive virtual reality (VR) surgical simulator for the training and assessment of suturing technique in the context of end-to-end anastomosis. The surgical simulator is comprised of surgical tools with force feedback, a 3D visual display of the simulated surgical field, physics-based computer simulations of the tissues and tools, and software to measure and evaluate the trainee's performance. This study uses the simulator to compare the skills of experienced vascular surgeons to medical students. Eight parameters were measured to evaluate performance during VR suturing tasks. The data indicate significant differences between surgeon and nonsurgeon performance, as well as improvement in performance with training. We believe that this study offers support for the use of virtual reality surgical simulators to augment surgical skill assessment and training.