Skip to main content

Thank you for visiting nature.com. You are using a browser version with limited support for CSS. To obtain the best experience, we recommend you use a more up to date browser (or turn off compatibility mode in Internet Explorer). In the meantime, to ensure continued support, we are displaying the site without styles and JavaScript.

  • Viewpoint
  • Published:

Is virtual reality simulation an effective training method in surgery?

Nature Clinical Practice Gastroenterology & Hepatology volume 5, pages 232–233 (2008)Cite this article

Reports of adverse outcomes caused by technical errors during surgery and better understanding of the components of surgical competency have highlighted the importance of teaching surgical technical skills in a safe and pedagogically efficient environment.1 This need has been further emphasized by the rapid development of new approaches, such as minimally invasive surgery and endoluminal therapies, both of which require proficiency with sophisticated technical skills. The old approach of 'see one do one, teach one' is no longer acceptable to either the surgical profession or to the well-informed and demanding public. New tools have been developed for teaching and assessing technical skills outside the operating room using virtual reality simulation, which has been applied for many years with great success in many industries including aviation and the military.

Traditionally, surgical virtual reality simulators facilitated training in basic skills relevant for laparoscopic surgery by enabling users to perform maneuvers using abstract graphics (low-fidelity simulation). With software development, the simulators now enable users to perform complete procedures with the added simulation of rare anatomical variations and various pathological conditions. The interface of these high-fidelity systems enables the surgeon to 'feel' the tissue (haptic feedback). The realism, however, of these simulated procedures is still suboptimal, and the high cost of virtual reality simulators limits their widespread distribution. Furthermore, the advantages of the high-fidelity, high-cost systems have not yet been demonstrated and future studies are needed to establish the potential advantages of procedure-specific simulation.

This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution

Access options

Buy this article

  • Purchase on Springer Link
  • Instant access to full article PDF
Buy now

Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout

References

  1. Grantcharov TP et al. (2002) Assessment of technical surgical skills. Eur J Surg 168: 139–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  2. Jordan JA et al. (2001) Virtual reality training leads to faster adaptation to the novel psychomotor restrictions encountered by laparoscopic surgeons. Surg Endosc 15: 1080–1084

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  3. Darzi A et al. (1999) Assessing operative skill. Needs to become more objective. BMJ 318: 887–888

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  4. Grantcharov TP et al. (2004) Randomized clinical trial of virtual reality simulation for laparoscopic skills training. Br J Surg 91: 146–150

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  5. Seymour N et al. (2002) Virtual reality training improves operating room performance: results of a randomized, double-blinded study. Ann Surg 236: 458–463

    Article  Google Scholar 

  6. Grantcharov TP et al. (2007) The impact of objective assessment and constructive feedback on improvement of laparoscopic performance in the operating room. Surg Endosc 21: 2240–2243

    Article  Google Scholar 

  7. Grantcharov TP et al. Virtual reality computer simulation: an objective method for the evaluation of laparoscopic surgical skills. Surg Endosc 15: 242–244

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  8. Carter FJ et al. (2003) Validation of a virtual reality simulator with error analysis of a simulated surgical procedure. Surg Endosc 17 (Suppl 1): S63

    Google Scholar 

  9. Carter FJ et al. (2005) Work Group for Evaluation and Implementation of Simulators and Skills Training Programmes. Consensus guidelines for validation of virtual reality surgical simulators. Surg Endosc 19: 1523–1532

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  10. Aggarwal R et al. (2006) An evidence-based virtual reality training program for novice laparoscopic surgeons. Ann Surg 244: 310–314

    Article  Google Scholar 

  11. Aggarwal R et al. (2007) Framework for systematic training and assessment of technical skills. J Am Coll Surg 204: 697–705

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Author notes

  1. St Michael's Hospital, Division of General Surgery, Office 056, 16 Cardinal Carter Wing, 30 Bond Street, Toronto, ON M5B 1W8, Canada grantcharovt@smh.toronto.on.ca

Authors and Affiliations

  1. TP Grantcharov is an Assistant Professor of Surgery at the University of Toronto and a Staff Surgeon at St Michael's Hospital, Toronto, Canada.,

    Teodor P Grantcharov

Authors
  1. Teodor P Grantcharov
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Ethics declarations

Competing interests

The author declares no competing financial interests.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Grantcharov, T. Is virtual reality simulation an effective training method in surgery?. Nat Rev Gastroenterol Hepatol 5, 232–233 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpgasthep1101

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/ncpgasthep1101

This article is cited by

Search

Advanced search

Quick links

Nature Briefing

Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science, free to your inbox daily.

Get the most important science stories of the day, free in your inbox. Sign up for Nature Briefing