Abstract
Background: Video games have been proposed to improve hand-eye coordination and manual dexterity. With the increase in complexity over time of robotic surgical tasks, the use of novel skills training and educational backgrounds is becoming a popular topic of discussion. If a connection can be made between the skill development of videogame experience and its application to robotic surgery, shorter training times and better surgical outcomes could be achieved.
Objective: To map out the literature on the role of video gaming in relation to robotic surgical performance.
Materials and Methods: Search was conducted in databases (EMBASE, PubMed, Web of Science) and related journals (The American Journal of Surgery, Journal of Surgical Education and Journal of Robotic Surgery). Search concepts included “video games” and “virtual reality” combined with “robotic surgical procedures,” “robot assisted surgery” and “robot assisted microsurgery.” Additionally, search concepts were tailored to each database in order to utilize database-specific search terms and natural language terms. Only journal articles written in English and published during or after 2010 were included.
Results: Our search resulted in 14 articles that reported on video games in relation to robotic surgery competence. We arranged the articles into categories with 7 positive correlations, 5 negative correlations, and 2 neutral correlations.
Conclusion: Past video game experience has been theorized to show increased competency in robotic surgery. The results obtained in this study reveal evidence supporting and denying this theory. While many studies analyze video game use as a secondary metric, novel, dedicated research studies on this topic need to be conducted to bolster the consensus in the robotic surgery community.
