Value of robotic surgery simulation for training surgical residents and attendings: a systematic review protocol

Abstract

IntroductionRobotic surgery is a method of minimally invasive surgery performed through small incisions using a remote robotic console. Surgical residents and attendings participate in simulation training to be able to effectively perform robotic surgery using wet labs, dry labs and virtual reality platforms. Our objective is to identify the effectiveness of robotic simulation on novice robotic surgeons. This review will answer our review question: To what extent are robotic simulations for training novice robotic general surgery residents and attendings associated with improved outcomes in comparison with no simulation training?Methods and analysisA comprehensive search of PubMed, Embase, the Cochrane Library and Web of Science was performed. The studies were then determined to meet initial screening criteria by one individual for abstract and title with full text screening performed by two authors independently and in duplicate. Narrative themes will be collected, analysed and summarised where possible.Ethics and disseminationThere is no Institutional Review Board approval required given that the work is carried out on previously published papers. The final manuscript and results will be presented and published at an academic conference and peer -reviewed journal.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42021274090.

Early Implementation of Robotic Training in Surgical and Surgical Subspecialty Residency

“…The da Vinci robot by Intuitive Surgical, Inc. was approved by the United States Food and Drug Administration in the year 2000 3 and since then, hundreds of thousands of surgeries have been performed utilizing various upgrades of the original models 10 with each surgical subspecialty incorporating it in different procedures with increasing frequency. 1,2 Despite its use in the United States for over 20 years, residents continue to report multiple barriers to utilization including lack of exposure, effective operating room teaching, clinical experience, and simulation opportunities.…”

Researching the application of virtual reality in medical education: one-year follow-up of a randomized trial

“…It has been consistently shown that VR-assisted teaching helps enhance the quality of instant instruction in the clinical medical area. For example, in the field of surgical medicine, VR is currently used for a variety of purposes, including the exploration of potential new surgical plans [ 48 ], the design of surgical plans prior to surgery [ 49 ], the improvement of clinicians' operational skills and the reduction of the surgical learning curve [ 50 ], the direction of patients during postoperative repair [ 51 , 52 ], etc. Despite the positive outcomes in the aforementioned areas, creating certain unique therapeutic situations demands a significant financial commitment owing to the high cost of VR learning and the complicated and variable clinical scenarios [ 53 ].…”