Effectiveness of immersive virtual reality in surgical training - a randomized control trial

Pulijala, Y., Ma, M., Pears, M., Peebles, D. and Ayoub, A. (2018) Effectiveness of immersive virtual reality in surgical training - a randomized control trial. Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery, 76(5), pp. 1065-1072. (doi: 10.1016/j.joms.2017.10.002) (PMID:29104028)

Abstract

Introduction: The surgical training methods are evolving with technological advancements including the application of virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR). Yet, twenty-eight to forty percent of novice residents are not confident in performing a major surgical procedure. VR Surgery, an immersive virtual reality (iVR) experience was developed using Oculus Rift and Leap Motion devices to address this challenge. It is a multi-sensory, holistic surgical training application, that demonstrates a maxillofacial surgical technique, Le Fort I osteotomy. Objective: The main objective of this study was to evaluate the impact of VR Surgery on the self-confidence and the knowledge of surgical residents. Design: A multisite, single-blinded, parallel, randomised controlled trial (RCT) was performed. The participants were novice surgical residents with a limited experience in performing the Le Fort I osteotomy. The primary outcome measures were the self- assessment scores of trainee’s confidence on a Likert scale and objective assessment of the cognitive skills. Ninety-five residents from seven dental schools took part in the RCT. The participants were randomly divided into a study group n=51, and a control group n=44. Participants in the study group used the VR Surgery application on an Oculus Rift with Leap Motion device. The control group participants used similar content in a standard PowerPoint presentation on a laptop. A repeated measures multivariate ANOVA was applied to the data to assess the overall impact of the intervention on the confidence of residents. Results: The study group participants showed a significantly higher perceived self-confidence levels compared to those in the control group (p=0.034, α=0.05). Novices in the first year of their training showed the highest improvement in their confidence, compared to those in the second and third year. Conclusion: iVR experiences improve the knowledge and self-confidence of the surgical residents.

• Item Type: Articles
• Status: Published
• Refereed: Yes
• Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID: Ayoub, Professor Ashraf
• Authors: Pulijala, Y., Ma, M., Pears, M., Peebles, D., and Ayoub, A.
• College/School: College of Medical Veterinary and Life Sciences > School of Medicine, Dentistry & Nursing > Dental School
• Journal Name: Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery
• Publisher: Elsevier
• ISSN: 0278-2391
• ISSN (Online): 1531-5053
• Published Online: 13 October 2017
• Copyright Holders: Copyright © 2017 American Association of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgeons
• First Published: First published in Journal of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery 76(5): 1065-1072
• Publisher Policy: Reproduced in accordance with the publisher copyright policy